Bed of Eden
by That angry kid
Summary: A rare and debilitating disorder took away her chances of living a normal life at a young age, now she is finally coming to a point in her life where she will have to traverse through different waves of crippling difficulty and revelations. UchiSaku. Dark themes ahead.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a very graphic story (extremely twisted). If you don't like, don't read. Themes of substance abuse, psychological manipulation, and many more will be present. TRIGGER WARNINGS.**

 _ **UchiSaku. AU/ Graphic content, Rated M for a reason. Don't like? Don't read.**_

 **Summary** **:** **A rare and debilitating disorder took away her chances of living a normal life at a young age, now she is finally coming to a point in her life where she will have to traverse through different waves of crippling difficulty and revelations. UchiSaku. Dark themes ahead.**

* * *

 ** _Ch.1: The fall of Man_**

It was the first time he would be coming home after a few months in college. To him it felt like it has been a decade since he last saw her. He was too eager; he could feel the beads of sweat beginning to form on the nape of his neck. The car ride home was not helping him settle his nerves as his fingers begin itching to run through her silky pink hair.

A loud ringing made him jump in his seat. "Sasuke, where are you right now?"

Sasuke took in a calming breath to keep him in track and secretly seethe at himself for the lack of composure in his reaction. "I'm an hour away from the compound." There was a small pause from his big brother as if he was anticipating the question that was about to come next. "How is she?" he couldn't help himself.

"She's doing fine; she's been awake for almost two days now. We don't know when the next attack might come in so it would be best if you would hurry if you still want to spend time with her conscious. She woke up with a pleasant mood too."

"Alright, I'll try to get there faster." Sasuke's body almost sang upon hearing the news that she was awake. He had so much to tell her, too many things that he knew she wouldn't be able to comprehend even if he dumbed down everything in his vocabulary, it would still be too much for her to grasp. The road to becoming a doctor is a very long and arduous route, but he wouldn't regret a single thing about it if it was all for her.

Sasuke tried to remember the first time the sleeping spells began. It was difficult to comprehend at the age of eight why Sakura began sleeping for ridiculously long amounts of time. He was upset with a mindset that he would have to face the afternoon boredom all alone.

But then, she began not waking up at all that she had to be brought to the hospital. All these contraptions, all those tubes that went under her skin and face just to sustain her alive made his skin crawl, and he eventually ran to his closest brother, Itachi, in fear of Sakura dying.

Itachi held him and comforted him as best as he could at the time, but his father was not helping him ease his worry.

Fugaku never really showed interest in Sakura, and would often call her a 'charity case' when he would have to discuss things about her to their loving mother, Mikoto.

Sasuke closed his eyes at the memory, trying his best to lock out all of the horrible things he would say about Sakura, and how he would sneer at him for showing such weakness and unnecessary concern for someone who was basically feeding off of them.

But that was then.

This is now.

* * *

The Kleine-Levin Syndrome took over Sakura's life, and the more painful it was for Sasuke to bear long periods of days without seeing her beautiful and serene green eyes.

Before he even knew it they had arrived in the compound, and the driver has finally opened the door for him. The fall of snow dropped, it reminded him that it has been a very long time since he had left. The trees no longer had leaves and the ground was almost covered in a pristine white.

Right at the entrance, he saw long pink hair swaying with the walking movements of her body. Dainty arms held tightly onto the blanket that was her source of warmth. Itachi was right beside her, towering over her greatly, but at the same time a gentle presence to assist her in walking.

"Sasuke?" it was her sweet sing-song voice calling out to him. Sakura's green eyes were wide and her face was all too giddy although a bit glazed from her last sleeping spell.

For the first time in a long time he found himself smiling, his heart was pounding unbearably fast in his chest. Itachi was there staring at his little brother, happy for him to see his best friend awake just in time.

"Welcome home, Sasuke!"

The more he got closer he couldn't help but burrow his head in the warmth of the crook of her neck. The cold of winter burned his nostrils as he breathed her in and her scent. "Sasuke that tickles!" she squealed, but he ignored her and continued the selfish action.

"I'm glad I'm home."

* * *

A/N: Next chapter will be longer, like always. This one will also be a dark fic. I plan to make a series made of writing prompts, and I would love to hear from you guys.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: This is a very graphic story (extremely twisted). If you don't like, don't read. Themes of substance abuse, psychological manipulation, and many more will be present. TRIGGER WARNINGS.**

 _ **UchiSaku. AU/ Graphic content, Rated M for a reason. Don't like? Don't read.**_

 **Summary** **:** **A rare and debilitating disorder took away her chances of living a normal life at a young age, now she is finally coming to a point in her life where she will have to traverse through different waves of crippling difficulty and revelations. UchiSaku. Dark themes ahead.**

Ch 2: Here Lies Eve

Itachi was combing Sakura's hair as she slept peacefully on his lap. Sasuke watched him weave his long fingers into her scalp, rummaging for imaginary knots. "How has she been lately when she isn't affected by the sleeping spells?" Itachi tucked Sakura further in the blanket to protect her from the harsh winter weather. "She's been doing fine, like the usual. She wakes up more now, but there has been a sudden change in her sleep cycle. She still regresses to a child-like state when she is in the trance." Itachi explained calmly.

The trance meaning whenever she 'wakes up' during the sleeping spells. She reacts, she responds, but it was as if it wasn't Sakura. She would be on the edge, confused, irritable, just like a child. On her worst days, she would have emotional breakdowns about nothing in particular, or maybe one specific thing there was nowhere falling in between. When she begins to officially wake up, she turns back to Sakura, a healthy and functioning seventeen year old girl, albeit a bit disoriented.

"Still no memories? No recollections?" Sasuke asked. Itachi just shook his head 'Nothing'.

"Lately she's been having a hard time remembering even recent happenings when she is awake." Sasuke perked up at this. "We have to start bringing her to therapy or any sort of professional help when it comes to this. People who suffer from Kleine-Levin Syndrome tend to experience derealization. You did say that she tends to wake up more now right?"

Itachi nodded, "Her sleeping patterns have changed drastically now. Unlike before where she would sleep for long periods of time and stay awake for a few weeks consistently, there is a sudden shift."

Itachi paused the moment he felt Sakura twitch. Both brothers snapped their attention to her in an instant, and Sasuke arrived at her spot in an instant to check her pulse or any other signs she might wake up.

When the coast was clear, Itachi continued. "She can sleep for shorter periods of time now. It has been two months since it started."

"What do you mean, Itachi?"

"The consultants you have referred me to before have told me that people with this disability do tend to return back to normal after no more than eight years, but since Sakura has one of the worst case of this illness, they can't pinpoint exactly when it would stop or fully come back."

"It has been thirteen years since she was diagnosed with this." Sasuke said. Itachi nodded again.

"Indeed. Now they told me that if she can stay awake and sleep just as fast, she might suffer from deciphering which is real and which is not."

"I know a great doctor; she's a neurologist and might be able to help Sakura." Sasuke was too eager to bring her out of the house, but in reality he just wanted to have her all to himself. Take her beyond the walls of their massive land.

All three of his brothers would never admit it, but he knows, _he just does,_ that no matter what it is they do, they do it for her. He could tell just by seeing how they would rip one another apart if one of them spends too much time with her. Why were they engrossed in such a little girl? Who knows? But he could ask himself the same thing.

"Do you still remember when you first met her?"

There was no need to ask who else they were talking about. "Of course, it's not like pink hair is a normal thing." Itachi smiled at his sarcasm. "Father hated you for befriending her you know." Itachi commented, "And he hated you just as much when you decided to take in the family business instead of being the contingency child." Sasuke rebutted back.

Both brothers shook their heads at the memory. "He treated her like we picked up a stray animal beyond salvaging." Sasuke said bitterly. It was almost close to the truth. Sakura was the daughter of Kizashi, one of the caretakers of the Uchiha estate. He lived in a far off housing for the caretakers, closer to the woods to be considered safe. "He treated him like an animal, and she, no more than just filth."

The man was living in their land for free, and in return he had to agree to be on duty twenty-four-seven. The man toiled with labor intensive activities for every season non-stop, while Sakura who was only two at the time would play with the brothers during their spare time.

Fugaku didn't say much in the beginning about that, but when he finally did, there was already a crack in the perfect image that he had worked so hard on. She was an insignificant little ant that turned into a parasite in his eyes. Kizashi had died not soon after which further sealed his hatred for the innocent girl.

"Have you ever seen Mother so angry ever?" both brothers had a far off stare in their eyes. "Never" Itachi answered.

Zero safety regulations, no health insurance, no registrations with the law and labor regulations, there was nothing that protected Kizashi. Mikoto, their beautiful mother, wore a rather horrendous expression on her face when she saw Sakura being kicked out of the compound. She was the stark opposite of their father. She was compassionate and nurturing, she never stopped trying to understand her sons even at time when she absolutely couldn't while they were growing up.

"She couldn't stop cooing at Sakura when we officially adopted her." Itachi smiled at the loving memory they had for her.

"We should move this discussion to the library. Shisui and Madara will be coming home soon, I'm sure Madara will have a pile of papers for us to assess considering his campaigning will run early next year." Sasuke just nodded and stood up. Itachi ever so gently removed the sleeping girl from his lap and replaced it with a pillow. Before leaving and closing the lights, he had checked the room temperature twice.

* * *

Itachi woke up immediately when he heard loud wailing right next to his room. He cursed under his breath as a loud thudding noise followed when he was about to leave his room. The door to her room was wide open, and there was more than one voice talking inside.

"Come now, Sakura. Is this the way you greet your big brother?"

Itachi hardened his glare at the sight before him. Sakura was on the floor with the sheets wrapped around her legs. It looked like she tripped while she tried to run.

Madara was smiling and treating this as if her state of disarray and confusion was a great thing. "Madara, don't scare her."

Madara just chuckled at this and proceeded to loosen his tie. "She won't even remember a single thing. It's okay. It's not like I get to spend time with our favorite person." He cooed.

Sakura wailed louder than before "I don't want it! I don't want to stay there! I don't want a bath!" her hands began scampering on the carpeted floor trying to find something that wasn't there.

Itachi's tone became a bit harsher "Madara, this is an order." The man just rolled his eyes at his younger brother and helped pick up Sakura. "Shh" Madara hushed as he helped Sakura get back to bed. He met a little resistance from the girl. "I don't want a bath! I don't want this anymore! I'll drown, I'll drown!" both brothers now adorned a grim look on their faces at the memory she was currently regressing to.

Madara held her tightly in his arms and wrapping her into the blanket so she won't be able to hurt them or herself. Her eyes started becoming glazed and half lidded, quickly getting tired but still on the edge. "Shh, Sakura no one is going to hurt you. Big brother Mada is here." Madara nuzzled his face to her neck as he watched Itachi glare harder.

"It's such a pity you know, she doesn't remember a lot of things but the ones that she does aren't always pleasant." Sakura sniffled a little more until she finally closed her eyes.

"Father was so cruel to threaten her by trying to drown her." Just for that moment, Madara dropped the mocking tone and replaced it with a serious one. He truly did feel sympathy for the girl although he refused to show it. He knows full well how cruel their father could be, and being the oldest one amongst them he understood why their father hated Sakura so much.

"Why are you in her room at this time" Itachi all but growled out. It was no secret that Madara had a massive sadistic streak, when he was bored he would come out and antagonize his little brothers, and later on to Sakura. They don't know exactly why Madara's attitude towards Sakura suddenly changed through the years but, none of them fully trusted him.

He was the man closest to the likeness of their father's cruelty and harshness; there was always a chance for him to strike at a time that will guarantee full damage.

Madara ignored his question and instead gave him a mocking stare as he held Sakura closer.

"Look at you Itachi." His smile widened, his blood began singing right under his skin from the heat of Itachi's glare. "You're so pathetic, waiting on her every call and whim. You even moved your room right next to hers."

Itachi started stalking closer to Madara. "Uh uh Itachi, we wouldn't want to wake up the precious one right next to me right now, now do we? Poor thing might wake up even crankier." Madara almost showed a full smile when he saw Itachi evidently calm himself down.

Madara soothed the hair and wiped away remnant of her tears from her face. He placed a small kiss on her brow.

"Get out" Itachi ordered. "I don't think so, amongst all of us you're the one who took the high road Itachi, don't you dare order me around." Madara bit out. "Now, I have everything settled, you may leave." The threatening tone in Madara's voice rendered Itachi to obey, but the night became restless for him as he sat in his bed waiting to hear anything that would be reason enough for him to go back in.

* * *

"How long was I asleep for this time?" I waited for the blurred face right in front of me to respond, but I know based on the smell of fresh soap and pines it was Itachi. "Four days" it was weird how I can start telling if he was smiling just based off of the tone of his voice. "Are you having a hard time with adjusting your vision again?" he asked.

I tried sitting up, my back was in pain and so were the rest of my limbs. "I'm fine, I just want to start stretching." I said politely. Fighting the lethargy in my bones is always the hardest trial right next to the memory loss.

Right from the beginning, I have already accepted the fact that I will miss out on a lot of things. Like how I won't be able to go to school anymore, or make normal friends, or go through relatable things like the trials every adult will go through.

Itachi's gentle hands began assisting me to stand up, "You're too kind for your own good, Itachi. I'm fine, I'm just sleepy but the rest of me isn't disabled you know." I couldn't help but chide him. He never took any offense in whatever it is I told him, which made me feel even guiltier.

I don't know what I did to deserve this. All I ever do to them is just take and take, and yet they never asked for anything of me in return.

The bones popping and the exhilarating pain that came with stretching my muscles woke me up fully. It was moments like these that I could never take for granted, ever.

Even the shittiest memory, I cherish.

Memories, experience, all of this makes a person.

Light pain bloomed in between my brows when I realized that Itachi had poked me with his two fingers. "You must not keep thinking of just the negative things, Sakura. I have been taking care of you and Sasuke long enough to know when you're both in a bad mood; Even when you're awake or not."

I hated how right Itachi was sometimes.

* * *

The pouting shape of Sakura's mouth made Itachi smile a little. "Come now, we have to get you breakfast. You get changed first, and we'll take a walk around the garden to stretch your legs."

"I- I can go alone!" Sakura was flustered this time, "I- I'll see you around Itachi." She quickly pushed Itachi outside of her room and assessed her wardrobe of the day.

It's not often that she could enjoy winter with her brothers. There have been years where she would sleep through an entire season, or happen to wake up with one of them gone, and of course she wasn't unaware of the times where she could be a very big pain in the ass for some of them.

She knows about her handicap, and the tendencies that followed with it, but she couldn't help but feel like a large fraction of her life was missing when her brothers would leave out bits and pieces of information from her. She just knows it.

Both Itachi and Shisui were too soft in between the ribs, they treated her like she was too fragile when it came to that topic, but they would never hesitate to give her a challenge when the situation calls for it. Madara, being the eldest and the cruelest, he would intentionally let Sakura be aware that he knew something but would just leave it dangling right out of her reach. ' _Prick'_ the word resonated in her mind.

And then there was Sasuke, her only best friend in the entire world. He would answer her questions diligently, but he too would leave out certain parts… but it was better to have the tidbits than nothing.

She suddenly snapped into attention as she just remembered. "Sasuke is still here!"

A big blur of pink and white fluff ran past the corridors, rushing to the kitchen where Itachi was. Based on his facial expression he was not happy with the choice of clothing that she decided to put on today.

A thick winter coat, gloves, and hat meant one thing and he did not like it one bit. "You are not going out today, Sakura." The grim expression on his face almost made Sakura waiver in her stance… almost. He knew that Sakura and Sasuke would go out and take tiny adventures when they were young, he just didn't know that they would also bring such a habit when they grew up.

"That doesn't work on me anymore, Itachi! I'm seventeen now!" his eyes ever so slowly squinted at her words.

"Do not test my patience, Sakura." Itachi would be lying if he said he didn't quite enjoy the comical look of fear and defiance she had on her face right now. "It's extremely cold outside right now, the last thing I want is for you to get into an accident." He heard a sigh from Sakura and her shoulders visibly sagged with her eyelids.

"Good, now sit down. I made you some te-" right before he could finish his sentence the door slammed closed with no pink in sight.

This time it was his turn to sigh.

At least she took some toast with her.

* * *

Sasuke was not in his room, nor was he in the big library. Sakura was panicking because she took a big gamble this time by openly disobeying Itachi. True, he loved her very much, but he could be such a disciplinarian at times.

Sakura was sure that he wouldn't be found in the west wing just because Madara resided there too, so she went to the last place she knew he could be.

The large estate was big enough to house hundreds of families, but not everyone had enough money to stay there. The last Uchiha's remaining in the land was the very ones living in the main house, which was thankfully not a ridiculous and opulent mansion.

The estate is so large that a considerable fraction of it is in the forest. When Sakura and Sasuke were younger, they would spend time together exploring the world that was way too big in their perspective back then. At the time where Sakura's size was no taller than the very table they dined in, she thought that she had seen enough of the world.

Right near the edge of the estate, a few minutes from the wired fence, was a massive field of wild flowers. In the winter it would be covered by the snow which only helped Sakura and Sasuke's drive for adventure to run wild.

What else was there? They thought.

They ran as fast as their tiny feet would take them beyond the openness of the field. There was something about that day that sealed Sakura's bond with Sasuke.

"Sasuke?" she called out once she finally reached her destination. A massive tree, so large that she swore could fit five people in it was growing its root all over the other trees. How none of the others knew of this place was beyond her, but she was happy that they didn't.

Soon she heard the crunching of snow and her eyes snapped quickly to the direction it came from. She whipped out a small knife, "Good, just like how I taught you." Sasuke was leaning on the massive tree with a proud smirk on his face. "I do my best to remember the important stuff." She said with a cheeky grin.

"What took you so long?" he asked. Her lips turned down quickly. "Itachi happened." They shared an understanding look with one another. "Let's go inside, I just cleaned the webs out." Sasuke motioned her to follow him inside.

It was amazing, this spot that they found together. The tree grew so tall and wide that the natural crevices in it did too. It was hollowed naturally, protected from the snow and rain. On the warmest days of summer it was cool enough inside, and in any season, this is where they would confide in each other's secrets.

Sasuke lit the battery powered lamp they kept in there. Its outside was a bit rusty and still had a few remnants of the time when they tried to paint over it. Sasuke sat down on the dried leaves that insulated warmth from the cold ground and Sakura followed suit.

"The order of shinobi is now in place!" Sakura half screamed. "Just get on with it" Sasuke sighed out, but he didn't deny the small smile the nostalgia brought. "How is college? Do you have any cool stories to share with me? Did you make any new friends? How is Naruto?" one question right after the other came shooting out of Sakura's mouth. If it were anyone else, it would have annoyed the holy hell out of Sasuke, but this was different. He could never get mad at Sakura.

He began telling her stories and explanations, her eyes a soft green stared at him with deep interest. "Wow, it must be tough trying to become a doctor. You're like the exact opposite of me you know, it's like you stay awake as much as I am asleep!" Sakura giggled and rolled over the leaves to where Sasuke was laying.

Instinctively he put one arm out to let Sakura lay her head on. "Sasuke, you wouldn't keep secrets from me would you?" She asked him too innocently. He only looked at her with a hardened look.

"Lately… Itachi would tell me that I have been sleeping for less periods of time now, but-"

The slight hesitation from Sakura made him budge a little to continue. "But sometimes I think I've been awake for far longer. He would say that it's not something that is necessarily true… You would tell me, won't you?"

Sasuke felt her dilemma pour out of her in massive waves. He was only four years older than Sakura, but he knew all too well how she felt like after being treated like a baby, but of course reality could bite hard sometimes and we all know the lessons that truly mattered in life would always leave a mark.

"Sakura, you must have not been told yet have you?" Without even looking he already knew that she was staring into him intently. "You know a few things about your disorder, but not enough I guess." This is what Sakura was waiting for all this time. He told her six months, six months that he had been away, and six months she had to wait to be told the information that she wanted from the outside.

"You are well aware that you act differently from when you are asleep, correct?" he felt her nod in return. "Your disability is not common, and by no means is a pleasant thing, but most importantly, your case is also a bit different from the rest of the others that do have it." Sasuke paused, thinking of a way to word out his explanation without seeming like he intends to insult or hurt her.

"Patients suffering from Kleine-Levin Syndrome on average tend to have the attacks start at a young age, from four to their early twenties. Some of the recorded studies showed that they are able to recover after five to eight years, only to have it come back when they go past the age of forty-five. You've had this for the past thirteen years, Sakura. And in all honesty, we are not sure if you waking up this often would mean that it is finally letting up."

Sakura huddled closer to Sasuke, trying to cover her watery eyes from his view… but he already knew. His arm that she was currently laying on curled on her head. Sasuke tried his best to make soothing motions on her hair.

"But- but I swear, sometimes, it feels real" she almost yelled out.

"You are starting to drift to a comparatively faster pace in processing memories than what you are used to when it comes to your old pace. Things will start to get confusing." Sakura's grip on him tightened, and she tried her best to still herself.

She wanted this and she got it, she told herself. She put on a brave face and stared at Sasuke like she did just a while ago. "For now, your brain is trying to process it as best as it can but it might not be the most efficient way. What may seem real to you could be something your mind is making up, and when you are awake, you could have a high chance of imagining that you are still asleep."

Sasuke suddenly breathed out through his nose loudly "I understand you are frustrated, when all you have had is your memory." The sullen tone in his voice made her shrink back a little.

"I promise you, Sakura, when you get better we'll go do all of the other things you've missed out on." Sasuke gave her a small and genuine smile, something that he rarely does nowadays. "Yeah, but I also want to grow up already." She muttered.

"You will, and you already have. Don't pressure yourself."

"I- I also want to give back!" was her muffled response. And at last she finally gave in and the tears of self annoyance and frustration dropped. Sasuke chuckled at this

The poor thing didn't know that she has already given something more than they could take. Sasuke faced Sakura now, their face so close to one another that they could feel their breaths.

For as long as he could remember he had loved Sakura, but it was too easy to see that she was not aware of such things. Romantic feelings or the simple awareness of intimacy was something too out of reach for her, she didn't even know the position that they were in right now was something that only couples would do. He knew that it was a common thing amongst patients of that disorder, but he was thankful that Sakura didn't suffer from the severe side of it. She was still in touch with her emotions, emotions that still could count and help her function as a human being.

He absentmindedly tucked the long pink hair behind her ear and proceeded to wipe the tears off her face. "We won't hold it against you ever, Sakura. You never wanted to have this, and no one is to blame. You are allowed to feel such frustrations, but it won't be a productive thing to do in the long run."

She sniffled, the bottom of her other nostril beginning to shine. "Wipe your snot; I have something to give you."

"I do not have snot!" said Sakura as she proceeded to wipe her nose with her gloves. Sasuke brought out a small paper bag in his pocket, "Here, these chocolates aren't as bitter as the last one I brought you." Sakura sat up with awe struck eyes as if she didn't just have a crisis a second ago. "I wish you were the one that stayed at home, Sasuke! Itachi would never let me have sweets that I can keep! He even takes away what Shisui gives me."

"That's not all of it." Sasuke began rummaging the deep pocket of his coat. He brought out a thin band and grabbed Sakura's wrist. "What is that?" she asked. "A watch, it's a digital one, so you can tell the time and it can also tell the date. I know that Itachi keeps the calendars from you, that overprotective prick, but I think it would be best if you can learn how to pace yourself on your own with your own time consciousness."

Sasuke finished fastening the thin band on her; she had an ugly smile on her face that tried to keep the tears at bay. "How does it work?" Sasuke simply tapped one end and it lit up automatically. "Don't tap on it as much alright? Most especially not around Itachi, he might start freaking out. On the outside it looks like a black glass band tied to rubber straps. Hide it if you don't want to wear it." Sakura hugged him tightly.

Sasuke has thought about this a long time ago, he wanted to give Sakura a good and normal life as much as possible. And like every teenager they would have to deal with pesky little secrets and learn to keep a few of their own.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she was practically squealing.

"You have a lot more stories to tell me though; we are not yet finished here!" Sasuke raised his brow at Sakura's statement. "I read something about party drugs and stuff, Shisui gave me a lot of young adult novels and its waaaay different from the books Itachi would give me about science and English literature-"

Sakura kept babbling and asking and Sasuke continued to listen and give her as much attention as he could. They would spend their time together like it until his phone would ring over a call from an overprotective Itachi.

* * *

AN: questions?


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is a very graphic story (extremely twisted). If you don't like, don't read. Themes of substance abuse, psychological manipulation, and many more will be present. TRIGGER WARNINGS.**

 _ **UchiSaku. AU/ Graphic content, Rated M for a reason. Don't like? Don't read.**_

 **Summary** **:** **A rare and debilitating disorder took away her chances of living a normal life at a young age, now she is finally coming to a point in her life where she will have to traverse through different waves of crippling difficulty and revelations. UchiSaku. Dark themes ahead.**

Ch 3: The Softest Sheets

The hot steam of the shower was rising quickly now that it was winter. It is too cold for a shower right now, Sakura thought. If it weren't for Itachi's scary demand/threat that they both clean up immediately Sasuke and her would have been able to share stories far longer.

But the quick scolding from Itachi did not deter her great mood right now. She giggled to herself as she stared at the shiny black band on her wrist. "Its waterproof" she said to herself with a giggle. It was something she was definitely proud of, and she tapped on it just to wait for the screen to die down only to tap it on again. Her private moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Sakura, you've been in there for too long. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine! Sorry I just lost track of time, I'll be out in a minute." Sakura answered back. _'So much for having a watch'_ she thought.

Sakura got dressed for the night, wearing comfy and warm clothes. She pouted at the sight before her. Itachi would always choose what clothes she should wear next. Although she doesn't have a good idea what fashion is like right now since she doesn't have a phone, or anything that connects her to the outside world, she can still tell that what Itachi would choose for her isn't always bad.

But it sure would feel nice if she could at least decide the little things for herself once and a while.

She snapped into attention remembering that she had chocolates hidden in her secret safe; it would probably be smart if she placed her new watch there too.

She began running toward the dining room where everyone would most likely be, but she didn't expect the first one to be there would be Madara. She stiffened and she absolutely resented the wide grin he made the moment he saw her. "Big brother Madara." She greeted almost none too eagerly. She was waiting for a taunt or an examination in her recent grades and tests.

"Is that how you should greet your big brother, Sakura?" she came forward quickly and gave him a peck on his cheek and a tight hug. He reciprocated the hug but didn't lighten the pressure. A tiny squeal came out of Sakura when she realized he wasn't letting go any time soon.

"How is my favorite person in the world?" he rubbed his face to her cheek and heard a cute noise of distaste come from the girl. "Mada! Your face feels like sandpaper!" he began to rub his stubble on her neck and she began to giggle at the contact.

"Mada! No! I'm not a kid anymore you can't do this!" Madara basked in the laughter that he caused. It was always refreshing to hear such a thing from the tiny person in his arms.

"Oi, oi, stop that. You look like a dirty old man." Shisui butted in. "Yeah, a dirty old man!" Sakura repeated. Madara comically gasped at Sakura. "Sakura, did you just use foul language near me." Sakura pointed a finger at him and proceeded to break his arms around her. She ran to Shisui this time, hiding behind him. "Dirty old man!" she pointed at Madara with a cheeky grin.

Madara glared hard at Shisui this time, and Shisui just enjoyed the fact that Sakura was taking his side. "I'd appreciate it if you both won't teach such filthy words to Sakura. It's going to become unbecoming of a lady her status." Itachi was the one who arrived this time.

Sasuke arrived on time and just gave a nonverbal greeting to everyone. "I'll forgive this trespass, for now, be thankful that it is almost Christmas." Said Madara in a playful tone, and proceeded to wink in a light manner in Sakura's direction. Sakura just grinned a little at him again, still hiding behind Shisui.

"I guess you'll be eating beside me tonight, huh?" the curly haired Uchiha said. "Yes! And, I also have a lot of questions to ask you about the boo-" Shisui didn't let Sakura finish her sentence. "Let's talk about that after dinner, baby girl!" Shisui directed her on the table and it was as if she never heard her question in the first place.

* * *

The meal went by without a single fight… that Sakura knew of, but it seemed like everyone was genuinely happy that they are finally home.

They were all in the study room this time around, relaxing a little bit before they would go to bed. Sasuke, Sakura, and Shisui were huddled up on the sofa, while Itachi and Madara opted to take the single armchairs.

Sakura was feeling sleepier than anyone in the room, but she would fight against it for as long as she can. It was a rare occurrence after all, for her to be awake while everyone was at home. She sighed contently and Sasuke began wrapping her up in a throw blanket. "Stop being- so unfair." She said in between yawns. "Don't try to fool anyone else here, Sakura." She blinked lazily at Shisui and proceeded to pout.

"Don't act cute with me." _'because it will surely work'_ thought Shisui. She grimaced at the both of them and left the couch with the blanket at hand. Without looking away from his book, Madara unfolded his other arm and accepted Sakura's full weight. She snuggled up to him like a child would to their father. "Madara is always the warmest."

Not too long after Sakura fell asleep with a slight snore. Madara had a smug look on his face while he earned the glare of three people in the room. "Next time, I'm sitting near the fire place." Shisui muttered to himself.

The heat of the flames on his skin was quickly quelled by Sakura's cold body. Her long pink hair could almost reach her calves now and was starting to curl at the ends. Her light snoring filled the room along with the light crackling of the wood in the fireplace.

Itachi put down his book ready to take Sakura away from Madara. "Must you always ruin the mood?" Madara almost barked at him. "She needs to sleep in a bed, we can't have her aching all over the place" came his quick reply.

Madara snorted at this, obviously not buying his bullshit excuse. "I can see right through you, Itachi." He said. "Let the girl live a normal life, for god's sake."

Shisui butted in this time. "Don't bite, Itachi. You know better than to take the bait." He warned. Sakura began squirming this time. Sasuke finally joined in this time. "Although I love to have one of you killed one another, we have something more serious to talk about." He said in a low pitched voice. The rest of them followed suit, lowering their voices in pitch as to not wake up the girl.

"Alright, I'll place her in bed." Madara stood up carrying the girl. Itachi was trying to stop himself from ripping Sakura off of Madara's arms. "I'll get some of the papers, we need to talk this over." Sasuke said, leaving only Itachi and Shisui together.

* * *

"Green is such an ugly color on you, Itachi." Shisui told him in a teasing manner. The knuckles on Itachi's fists were turning white from the sheer force he was using to keep it closed. "It's not healthy to keep her like this." Itachi stayed silent.

"I know what happened today, and believe me; you are doing more harm than good if you keep Sakura like this. She's not disabled you know, and if she was, this isn't the way to live." Itachi faced the open flame, hiding the grim expression he had on.

Shisui sighed a little too heavily knowing that his words won't quite reach him right now; Madara always had that effect on pushing Itachi on the edge sometimes. Trust is such a fragile thing for them, and Itachi, although he is the smartest, he is also the most wary of them all.

Shisui can't say for certain that he trusts Madara a hundred percent, but he is confident that he won't hurt Sakura the way Itachi thought he would. There were times when they were still children when Madara had said extremely hurtful things to Sakura who was a child at the time, but she too learned to forget about it.

Both Madara and Sasuke arrived at the same time together and sat down on their respective spots just a while ago.

"This is a long night, boys. I suggest you all get comfy."

* * *

It was around five in the morning when Sakura finally woke up, she was all alone and had a change of clothes from what she last remembered the night before. Her memory was a bit hazy, and she was confused. Every time she woke up the severity of her confusion differs, but still something not to look forward to nonetheless.

She scrambled to look underneath her bed to grab the watch Sasuke just gave her. The soft green light of the device stung her eyes a little but what it contained gave her massive relief. "It was just last night." She whispered to herself.

Layers of anxiety, building frustration, and annoyance melted in an instant when she realized that she woke up the next day instead of waking up in a different week or season. A nervous laugh escaped her, and then one of happiness followed.

The start of her morning went pretty well. Her long hair was fixed into a ponytail and she proceeded to go out. Itachi's door is always open slightly ajar just for her in case she would need him. She peeped through the slit and saw Itachi wide awake reading something.

"Glad to know you're awake so early, Sakura." He greeted her. It was very scary how he could do that consistently without looking up. "Itachi, can I go-" "No, you have lessons today." came his simple reply. She was about to protest until she saw the dark circles under his eyes, further emphasizing the stress lines right underneath them.

"Itachi, are you alright?" she finally opened the door to fully show herself. He still wore the same clothes he wore last night, it seemed like he didn't have a single chance to change into his sleeping clothes at all. The man sighed silently, trying to hide his drowsiness.

It was a long standing tradition amongst them all that they try to stay awake during the morning if Sakura too was awake. It helped her know the difference between day and night in case that she was having one of her attacks. His tired smile gave him away, "What would you like for breakfast?" he asked.

She came up to him and cupped his face in both of her hands. "I'm not hungry, and it's too early for that" she said in a hushed tone. She proceeded to remove Itachi's ponytail and released the soft inky black hair from its confines. Itachi watched Sakura intently as she mimicked what their mother would do to them when they were restless. He would do the same to her, but it seemed more soothing if the notion just came from her slender hands.

Her fingers would pull on his hair with just the right amount of force that it was soothing; her perfectly trimmed nails would ever so slightly scrape his scalp. The edges of sleep threatened to overcome him and he had to stop her much to his dismay. His large hands held her tiny ones, but before he could stand up, Sakura swept his hair to the side and began combing it with her hands. The light pressure of her digits on his head felt like a massage.

His low groan caused her to giggle as Itachi didn't notice that he was physically showing his fight with his drowsiness. "Itachi, what's wrong?"

He smoothed his hands over hers and brought them both to lie on his bed. Sakura was enveloped in the smell of his aftershave and personal soap brand.

"We'll be taking you to the city with us next week, Sakura."

That sentence was enough to bring her heart to a raging and beating mess. She sat up so quickly that her long hair whipped on Itachi's face, managing to get a few in his eyes. Her green eyes were wide and so was her mouth. "Really?" she asked too excitedly, and it deeply saddened Itachi the very instant that she said that he watched the reality dim down the brightness in her smile.

"We'll be staying there for a month." He replied; His hands soothing down her arms and lightly directing her back into the pillows with him. The glimmer of hope became apparent in her eyes again, Itachi couldn't help but smile at this. "You have a lot of time to explore, but first, we will be taking you to a doctor there." A light sneer graced Sakura's face when she heard the word doctor.

"Of course, why else would you guys bring me to the city." She should have known better, she almost forgot that the word city was just a cover for the word hospital. The smell of strong disinfectant, blood, and death clung strongly in those walls. She hated it. More often than not, she spends most of her time sleeping in the hospital; it was always a rare occurrence that she would be awake when she was there, and if she was, it wasn't the real Sakura who was there.

The rest of the men at home never bothered to tell Sakura that there would be time that they would stay in the city for more than just a month. It was also a hard pill for them to swallow that they couldn't enjoy even the simplest of things such as the city life with her, and they didn't want to add anymore to the things that have been weighing her down since the beginning.

"You won't be staying there, silly." Itachi joked with the frowning girl. Her eyes openly displayed her confusion, but there was evident eagerness to them too. "We'll be staying at a house this time. We'll only be visiting the hospital every other day, and after that…"

Sakura took the bait, Itachi didn't continue because he knew Sakura was smart enough to assume what could happen next… plus his gentle smile was answer enough for her. "Does that mean I'll see the sea of city lights at night?" Itachi nodded and placed his forehead on hers. "Yes and many more. There is a lot of food there that is far more amazing than what we prepare here."

"Will I get to see the egg thing?" Sakura's voice became a bit smaller with the hint of a little embarrassment. Itachi was stumped for a moment, scouring his brain for what she meant because he didn't want to ask. "You mean gudetama?" "Yes!" was her quick reply. "I want to see him, Shisui told me one time when he was out one night with his friends gudetama was right outside a toy store."

Itachi hid his expression of distaste from the girl. "Ah, we will see." No doubt what Shisui told her must have been one of his drunken hallucinations. "I won't guarantee you that he will be there but we can always get you a new stuffed toy of him." Itachi realized that her eyes were about to close; sleep pulling her effectively. "Hmm, yes."

There was silence around them, he waited and waited for a single hitch in breathing or any noise from the girl but nothing came. He secured himself and prepared to join her in the land of dreams.

* * *

"Is this what you call studying?" Madara said with a raised brow. His long legs were crossed; he was sitting back all high and mighty in his chair right behind his desk. His personal study was not too big which made it feel a bit more suffocating than it had to be.

Right in front of him was Sakura with a bowed head, both of her hands were on her knees bunched up together; her lips pursed and her jaw in a hard clench. Of course, Madara saw all of the signs that she was preparing herself with what was to come next.

"Your grades are not befitting for an Uchiha, Sakura." He watched the elegant curve of her mouth go down deeper. He was also trying his hardest to control himself.

There were two sides to Sakura that he loves dearly and could never live without the other. For him, he has full knowledge of his faults and wrongdoings in the past, but that won't be enough for him to bow his head down and apologize, and yet he could still remember when the fat and salty looking tears dripped from her eyes all those years ago.

 _A seventeen year old Madara was walking down the hallway late one afternoon after his father had dismissed him after his lessons for the day. Fugaku was a very driven man up to a point that he had to drag Madara with him the moment he was born._

 _Madara was not feeling all too well. Every day he would be reminded by how much and how heavy his responsibilities are. Every. Single. Day._

" _I don't want you to ever forget" was his father's exact words. His fists were clenched tightly the closer he came to his room. The sound of a child's laughter irritated him at that moment. 'How come they are so happy? Do they not see how much time they are wasting?' he thought._

 _His eyes landed on a round-faced Sasuke playing with a little girl with pink hair. 'The charity case' was what his father fondly called her. It was now a rare occurrence to see the girl awake nowadays; he couldn't bring it in himself to feel pity towards the girl, or any care for that matter._

 _He treated her the same way his father would, but on this particular day it has reached a boiling point. He hated to see her happy, what the hell was she so happy about?_

 _Sasuke was laughing with her as she seemed like she couldn't pronounce a certain word. He found himself standing frozen in his spot, just staring at the two. He didn't know how long he was in a hateful stupor but he eventually snapped out of it when her high pitched laughter brought him back to reality._

 _He stomped towards them with an expression that was too angry for a boy his age. The two children didn't seem to notice that he was there right behind them until he viciously ripped the book out of Sasuke and Sakura's hands. His glare was fixed on Sasuke, the young one at the time too afraid to stand up and ask what was Madara's problem stood right on the spot. "Leave." Madara darkly whispered in Sasuke's direction, but the fear stricken boy looked like he was in shock seeing Madara in a vicious mood._

 _Madara took another step closer this time to Sakura, kicking away a few papers and books in the process. "You are a pathetic waste of space. I don't want you near my brother sullying his brain and ruining his chances at a better life." the five year old girl too was frozen in her spot._

 _Her throat already constricting making her words incoherent and her tears made her eyes blurry. "You do nothing but sleep and are a burden to this family. You suck nothing but food and money out of us, yet you are not even worth keeping alive." He growled out._

 _He didn't know why he had to take out all of the negative things he was feeling towards the girl but at that moment it felt great…_

 _But it was not worth it to feel the weight of this moment for the rest of his life later he realized._

" _You should just die." He swore that the moment her salty tears streamed continuously out of her innocent green eyes everything felt like it went into slow motion._

" _Madara!" her mother half screamed. He couldn't hear a single word his mother said. All he could hear was Sakura's pitiful wailing._

* * *

 _Dinner went badly that night for him, he was in a worse mood, more frustrated than ever because of his power hungry father. "I expected better from you." Those words echoed in his head. Itachi, his brother that was far too smart for his own good got excelled to his level of schooling not too long ago, and now it felt like he was losing the grace of his father that he had worked so hard for._

 _He was not here to just lose and forget everything that he had been worked hard to the grave for._

 _He was angry, he wanted to scream, he wanted to destroy things, but he knew better. He hadn't noticed that his hands had found their way to his hair and gripped it tightly. Every single failure that he had and have been chastised for flashed before his eyes, only to increase his pent up anger and frustration to limits he never knew existed._

 _His face was numbed down from his harsh breathing and anger, he was very inconsolable even if it was his mother talking to him. Mikoto knew better than to lash out at Madara for the way he acted a while ago, and she tried her best to understand._

 _She felt like she could only do so much to protect her children from the abomination of a man she had married._

 _Madara walked out of his room, he didn't know where he wanted to go to but his feet dragged him off to somewhere. It was late already, and the house has considerably dimmed down now that everyone was in their room… that was until he saw a pink head standing right in the middle of the living room. It was a bit dark but he could clearly see that she held her blanket with her. Stubby little fingers gripped tightly at the cloth the moment her eyes landed on him._

 _It seemed that she was looking for their mother but it was unfortunate that she found him instead, he thought._

 _It was the look of fear similar to what she would give when she sees his father._

 _It broke his heart a little, was that even possible if the person didn't matter to you at all? The thought frustrated him so much; the confusion, the incredible anger, the frustration that he couldn't quite express right. It felt like he was physically about to explode._

 _He couldn't stop his hands from ripping forcefully chunks of his hair. The pain was barely there in his self harming spree, but tiny feet padded towards his way effectively knocking the air out of him when she drove straight to his mid section._

 _He didn't know that he was already crying and hysterical looking, for him it felt like he looked like a crazed man and he was amazed that Sakura did not run away or cry at the sight of him in that situation, but to her, it looked like he needed help._

" _Madara!" she wailed his name, the tone sounded like more of a call for his attention rather than a cry for help away from him._

 _His face was being wiped furiously with the blanket she had at hand, wiping in every surface but where his tears came from._

" _Are you stupid?" he lashed out and she continued to wail his name repeatedly. She didn't look scared, she looked terribly concerned. He then realized that his shoulder length hair was all over the place, all over her._

 _Her blanket didn't really intend to wipe his tears of anger and frustration, but the blood that was running from his scalp. Her innocent baby pink blanket now stained in his blood made him settle down for a moment._

" _Madara!" she kept crying keeping the blanket on the spot where the blood has already dried. This time it was his turn to be a bit more sensible._

 _He held the tiny hand that tried to nurse his wound. He shushed the girl gently until her crying became little hic's and sobs. He tucked her wispy pink hair behind both of her ears and he realized that the swelling from her eyes did not go down just yet from the stunt he pulled during the afternoon._

 _She was evidently hurt by him, she feared him, and yet she did this to him instead of running away._

" _You're too stupid to understand what I'm going through." He muttered to the Sakura who was now falling asleep in his arms while he was sitting up on the floor._

 _She didn't understand anything_

 _She didn't know anything_

 _Then why does it feel like she does?_

* * *

 _Mikoto found them both the next day, cuddled up. Madara was in a protective position, covering the girl for warmth and caging her in his arms. "That's my girl, Sakura." She whispered to herself._

* * *

The silence must have felt unbearable by now for Sakura. Her lips were formed into a pout as she watched Madara in all his imposing glory.

The sudden pop of papers coming into impact with the wooden desk made her stand straight in shock. "If you don't get a grade higher than ninety-five on today's test, you will not like the consequences." He watched her with an amused smile.

She took the papers, still pouting and moping, knowing that Madara didn't tell her what the consequences would be just to further put her on the edge.

Right before she closed the door, Madara gave her one last word. "I have brought your favorite pack of pudding with me. We can have that secretly after dinner IF you pass."

The door slammed and he heard a muffled squeal of determination through the thick door. He smiled to himself at how endearing Sakura could be at times.

* * *

She didn't pass the test for today's lesson. A mere three points away from her goal, but they both enjoyed the pudding secretly anyway without Itachi's knowledge.

* * *

A/N: Questions?


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This is a very graphic story (extremely twisted). If you don't like, don't read. Themes of substance abuse, psychological manipulation, and many more will be present. TRIGGER WARNINGS.**

 _ **UchiSaku. AU/ Graphic content, Rated M for a reason. Don't like? Don't read.**_

 **Summary** **:** **A rare and debilitating disorder took away her chances of living a normal life at a young age, now she is finally coming to a point in her life where she will have to traverse through different waves of crippling difficulty and revelations. UchiSaku. Dark themes ahead.**

Ch 4: Birth of Venus

Sakura was overly ecstatic with how the first few hours of her day had gone. The first was when she woke up, it would mark the fourth day she had been awake, and the watch that Sasuke had given her proven to be more of a saving grace than she first thought it would be.

The second part was when Shisui came after her the moment she had woken up. Shisui was the most endearing brother for her, and how he would blatantly show his affections for her without a single hesitation. He was also the funniest, which helped her ease herself into the family of stiffs.

Today Itachi, Madara, and Sasuke aren't at home so they began doing the things they pleased right off the bat. Asides from making an overly sugary breakfast, they also made a fun mess of the kitchen.

Now, Sakura was frolicking in the snow and enjoying sledding up and down the short hill near their house. Sakura was too involved in her activity that she did not notice that Shisui was observing her with a grim look on his face. Nervousness was seeping into his skin the more he thought about the upcoming move for Sakura next week. The city was a big mess and although Shisui shared the same sentiments as Itachi when it came to thinking that Sakura was better off in a quiet and controlled environment, he also knew that it was no way to live for a girl her age.

There were too many secrets that they have kept from her, some too dark that it did not deserve to see the light of day, but now, the biggest concern he had was her finding out what Madara did for the family and as a living.

The Uchiha's have a long line of politicians and businessmen, but Madara was the most promising one right now in generations. The success came with the fame, and with the fame came the incredible amount of animosity aimed for them. Their biggest fear was that what if Sakura was brought into such a mess. She was the easiest target considering how close she was to them.

She deserved to be normal.

* * *

The winter did not stop Sakura from getting red in the face as she found difficulty in walking up the hill with the sled at hand. Shisui knocked off the look on his face as soon as he could before Sakura could notice. "Ah, Shisui don't you want to go down the hill with me?" Sakura's warm breath was steaming in the air, her pert nose, and the apples of her cheeks were a healthy pink. Her hair came down from her ponytail adding to her difficulty to move.

Shisui adored the vision of a lively Sakura before him. "I would love to but with our added weight we could go straight into the lake!" was his excuse. Sakura pouted at him and looked away, "Whatever! I'm too tired anyways."

A fan of pink replaced where Sakura was standing and fell just as fast before Shisui could realize that Sakura flopped on her back to the thick snow. The man began laughing heartily as Sakura furiously swung her arms and legs, "Snow angels!" as soon as she made her intended indent, she moved quickly to the next even surface of snow.

This time it was Sakura's turn to make Shisui happy. She was breathing heavily by the time she reached the seventh angel. "Are you ready to give up now?" Shisui gave her a cheeky grin, "No" she replied, but she was the one who refused to move at all.

"Come on, I'll make you some hot chocolate. Let's go inside." Sakura did not budge, Shisui sighed at this "I'll add in some of the whipped cream you love so much." Still no sign of moving. "I'll add the cinnamon spice you love so much." Sakura jumped, albeit in a very wobbly fashion. "Yes!"

* * *

Sakura was watching the American cartoons that Shisui brought with him. It was a tradition that they would watch shows like that together since such material was also kept from her. The reason that was given to her was because it contained foul language and vulgar actions, but it was mostly because Itachi was just scared that she might see something that could confuse her, or more specifically, make her realize how much she has already missed out on.

Shisui was more patient with her though, unafraid to make her see and learn about the pop culture references and entertainment. He would always make her aware that there is a bigger world out there, beyond the walls of their house, and the land of their country. He would encourage her to explore, he didn't want to keep that kind of luxury from her. He was almost the enabler of them all, from the good and the bad, he wanted Sakura to go through that experience, because he wanted her to fully understand that there would be someone beside her through it all.

Shisui felt Sakura's head lull to the side and directed her head to rest on his shoulder. 'She must have tired herself out' he thought. "Would you like to take a nap?" Sakura sank in deeper to Shisui's side and leaned half of her weight on him. "No" although she said it in a way that it was achingly close to a whisper, Shisui couldn't help but chuckle at the amount of conviction she used behind it.

Shisui observed her eyes were half lidded now, and her cheeks held a fresh pink tint to them from being flustered. Shisui placed an arm around her directing her to lay her head on his lap. His fingers immediately delved into the mass of long pink hair on Sakura's head. It was obvious now that Sakura was no longer paying attention to watching 'the Simpsons'.

"Sakura, have you ever thought of getting a haircut?" Sakura hummed at this question. "I don't know. Will it look nice on me?" she half murmured. Ever so gently, Shisui tucked a long lock of pink behind her exposed ear showing more of her beautiful face.

"When we go to the city, there are different types of styles, but I'm sure most of them would look gorgeous on you." The sensation of pain alerted his nerves when Sakura pinched him. "You're so annoying" she said half heartedly. This time it was her turn to touch her hair. It reached her calf now, and she has never felt the need to pay attention to her looks, she thought that it would be a waste of time since she would spend most of her days asleep anyways.

Shisui squeezed her arm a little tighter as if he felt her melancholy. "Don't worry, Sakura."

Sakura was having an internal war with herself this time, she could feel the darkness edge in her vision, and in an almost physical sense too. Her extremities started to feel numb and relax almost too forcefully. She didn't mean for it to happen but her eyes watered at the assurance Shisui gave her. "Shh, it's alright. You're safe here. You can sleep, Sakura."

"Promise me, Shisui. We'll do those things in the city." She said all too weakly. Shisui soothed her hair down, he couldn't give a reply but in a few moments time her eyes closed down.

Painfully so, he also knew that there was an indefinite amount of uncertainty if her eyes would open in a few hours from now, or maybe weeks beyond then.

* * *

Itachi was the one who arrived home first, it was around seven in the evening and he immediately noticed the house being too quiet for the ones who occupied it the entire day.

His first instinct was to go towards Sakura's room only to see it empty. He vehemently denied the silent panic prickling the back of his neck and began calling Shisui's phone. The pickup was fairly fast, "She's sleeping in the study room. The room is warmer." was his reply.

Itachi began walking in the direction where the two of them were. Sakura was asleep, wrapped in the blanket available in the room. Shisui was near the window with a calm look on his face. "What happened?" Itachi asked as calmly as he could. "Nothing, she tired herself out. She had fun, which is important."

Itachi moved quietly positioning himself to carry Sakura out of there. The two brothers simply looked at one another, silently nudging the other one to expound further with how their day went. "She fell asleep around three in the afternoon. We weren't able to eat anything too heavy." Itachi politely nodded in acknowledgement to this.

"Thank you"

Sakura's breathing was light and even, Itachi tried multiple times to wake her up but it only meant that one of her attacks has already started. She won't be waking up anytime soon. Itachi already missed the laughter and the bright smiles she would give. He finally gave into the urge and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, slightly breathing in the smell of her peach scented shampoo.

Her long lashes tickled the surface of his skin, and his lips quivered in a slight fashion as he regained control of himself. 'It is a time for duty' he reminded himself. Itachi moved to take off his coat and place it on a nearby chair.

Itachi wore his cold façade, opening the closet where Sakura kept most of her night time clothes. Itachi would always pick with meticulous fashion the clothes that Sakura would be wearing. Even the type of cloth and the kind of buttons placed on them were thoroughly thought off by him.

During the winter time, he would often pick thicker pajamas with silk lining inside to make sure her skin would retain moisture and help insulate the warmth of her body. Everything would always be a size or two bigger than her fit frame for her added comfort. Itachi finally settled on a pastel yellow pair with big white buttons so none of them would come undone when she moves in her sleep.

The process of removing all of her clothes was easy for Itachi, seeing as Sakura was close to being two times smaller than he was. In their family, Itachi was the third tallest amongst the siblings, but that doesn't mean he was short by the regular standards. His above average height gave him a sure advantage paired with the blessed genetics of their family.

Itachi brought the temperature of her room up as Sakura was left in nothing but her underwear. It was true that she had grown into a very beautiful girl much like what Shisui had told her a while ago, and that was one of the main reasons as to why Itachi was secretly very adamant to keep Sakura from the rest of the world.

He proceeded to remove her bra, pretending to be desensitized to the bouncing motions her breasts had made when they were finally unbound. His eyes roamed over her flat belly and proceeded with her underwear, slipping it down between her toned legs.

He placed clean underwear and clothes on her finally, and he finally began starting with the difficult task. He inspected her hands, checking for unwanted stains or injuries. Her nails have become too long and a bit uneven from god knows what they have done today.

Ever so carefully, Itachi began cutting and filing them, making sure they were trimmed to the right length and smoothen out so she wouldn't scratch herself in her sleep.

Her feet were next, and he noticed that there was a bit of redness from her soles that indicated that she had definitely played outside and did heavy activities. He trimmed her toenails and began massaging her calf and feet just to make sure that she wouldn't be in stiff pain when she wakes up a few days from now.

The silence and the warmth of her room placed Itachi in a stupor as his hands moved on their own on her calf. A noise came from Sakura which snapped him out of his situation. "Sakura?" he called out and she looked at him with the glazed eyes of a spellbound girl.

"I want sweets" she said softly, if it weren't for the silence and his sharp hearing he wouldn't have understood what she just said. Before he could stop Sakura from sitting up, she dangled on her bed, leaving her legs on it as her torso sluggishly went under her bed.

Itachi watched curiously what she has hidden in her 'Secret' safe this time.

Itachi knew that she had one.

And he never thought of reprimanding her about it. He too kept his knowledge of her not so secret safe, a secret as well. Sakura was just a girl, and she is allowed to keep secrets of her own… at least the ones that he deems safe.

Sakura slid off of the bed in her trance like state, she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore but she was moving. Her hands found the pack of chocolates given to her by Sasuke and she began stuffing them in her mouth.

Itachi sighed at this behavior. Not all of his brothers are aware of this, but sometimes Sakura would eat in her sleep. His biggest enemy was sugary treats because they can come in smaller sizes. He doesn't have eyes on her at all times.

In a loving fashion, Itachi wordlessly reprimanded the dazed girl, removing the sweets in her hands and directing a glass of water to her mouth. Automatically she began drinking without hesitation. Itachi firmly pressed his thumb and forefinger together in between the hollow of her cheeks to open her mouth and inspect if there was anything left for her to chew. Ever so innocently her soft tongue came out and licked her lower lip.

Like a magnet, his eyes couldn't leave the soft and pink mouth. It was warm and inviting underneath the pad of his thumb. The strong smell of peaches lulled him further into a trance, as if he too was affected by Sakura's current state. Her eyelids finally closed and her head fell backwards with her mouth slightly open.

Itachi willed himself out of his state and finally laid her down on his lap as he did the nightly routine for Sakura. His hands found comfort in the soft pink tresses on her head. He loved her hair long; it made her look unrealistic in this world. She looked like the fairy of spring; just like the one their mother would tell stories to them about when he was younger.

"We'll be leaving in a few days, Sakura." He said quietly to the sleeping girl. "The travel won't be too long, just a couple of hours. When you wake up, we'll do the things you have always wanted to do in the city." His hand cupped her warm cheek, enjoying the warmth and softness that she provides.

"I wish I could always keep you this pure and safe, Sakura."

* * *

Sasuke was right beside Sakura who was still sleeping peacefully. The hospital room that was given to them was rather spacious courtesy of Dr. Tsunade Senju. It left somewhat of a bitter taste in his mouth as he swallowed the promise that he had given her back in their sacred hiding place.

He was a bit antsy himself, he was anticipating a variety of emotions that Sakura will be feeling when she wakes up in a hospital room instead of the new house they'll be temporarily staying in.

Dr. Tsunade wanted to take advantage of the moment that Sakura is in right now. The very same equipment and devices hooked on her to help monitor her situation right now still unsettled him even as an adult his age. It still reminded him too much of the time when he was a child.

A warm hand placed itself on his shoulder and he didn't have to look up to know who it was. "Don't worry, Sasuke. Sakura will be discharged the moment she wakes up." The comforting tone Itachi gave off was comforting but did not give him enough assurance.

"It's not that easy, Itachi. I know it pains you too to see Sakura disappointed." Itachi could not give another response to this seeing as Sasuke was just speaking the truth.

The door opened with loud clacking noises of high heels on the floor. The very same doctor that they were speaking of came in with a stack of papers at hand. Sasuke stood up at the sight of her and bowed deeply in respect of his future mentor. Itachi nodded in her direction and in respect.

"Good afternoon to you both. I would like to thank you for choosing and letting me be a part of Sakura-chan's situation. I have heard of her case thanks to young Sasuke here." Tsunade gave him a small smile but immediately came into business.

"Please sit, the both of you. I would like to discuss something."

To their silent horror, this was something they couldn't ignore completely. All three of them were finally seated and ready to listen to what the doctor had to say. The files on the table were now neatly placed and a majority of them were placed right in front of Sasuke.

"With the permission of the hospital and, granted, you, Itachi Uchiha, the legal guardian of Sakura, to let me see her files, I have made a solution and a better idea on how to help." She paused a little, but directed her stare in both of their direction.

"Apart of this, I have done my own research for the past couple of months as I waited for your confirmation in the past. There are enough cases of people being affected from the Kleine-Levin Syndrome, but not enough to know the exact and usual long term effects of it."

"Most sufferers usually, revert back to their own self right after their sleeping spells and they usually fall into a pattern, but Sakura might have a different case since her sleeping spells have started at a very young age, which I also want to observe and see for myself." Tsunade began opening some of the files right in front of Sasuke and showed the both of them some of the cases similar to Sakura's and the treatments done to them.

"Most of the people affected with the KLS have gone through hormonal treatments and other medication, but seeing as this syndrome doesn't have a cure or any effective method and study that fully guarantee's her safety once conducted there isn't much that I can't do I'm afraid."

Itachi's face kept cool and calm, but Sasuke was somewhat confused. His eyes darted back and forth between the files right in front of him. "However," Tsunade caught his attention this time, "most of the patients have had intensive therapy and sessions with their psychologists which helped ease them and better effectively reintroduce them to society."

"The very reason I want Sakura to be here the moment she wakes up is because I want to see her in her different states. People who suffer from KLS most especially at a young age have a difficult time from derealization. My intentions are clear, and right now I would like to see how well I can help Sakura cope into a new environment."

"She is still considered a minor at the age of seventeen, and as you said her symptoms have been easing up, letting her wake up for longer periods of time. I would like to take the opportunity to give a better grasp at her current overall mental state."

"I see." Itachi said calmly. His hand found Sasuke's back, "Me and my brothers will talk about this." Tsunade watched him up close and nodded. She opted to leave not soon after leaving the two of them behind.

Sasuke was quiet, obviously frustrated and angry. "There is nothing much we can do, Sasuke. Don't push yourself over something you have no control over." Sasuke's brows began knitting together, although he should have known better than think that even the best neurologist and psychologist couldn't play god, it still got to him.

Itachi, being the voice of reason began convincing him to relax and think more about it. "You're right, Itachi. The best thing we can do right now is waiting and help Sakura adjust, I'm just more worried about how she can cope quickly… what if she finds out the truth?"

The silence in the room began to suffocate the both of them.

 _What if she finds out?_

Itachi felt cold for a moment just thinking about this. It would be impossible for it to happen but one couldn't be too careful as the saying goes. "If it does happen, the best we can do is just trying and talk it out like normal people would."

* * *

 **A/N: Will write u 2 page smut for 5$**

 **It's a joke, chill. Should I make an where you can ask me everything under the sun?**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: This is a very graphic story (extremely twisted). If you don't like, don't read. Themes of substance abuse, psychological manipulation, and many more will be present. TRIGGER WARNINGS.**

 _ **UchiSaku. AU/ Graphic content, Rated M for a reason. Don't like? Don't read.**_

 **Summary** **:** **A rare and debilitating disorder took away her chances of living a normal life at a young age, now she is finally coming to a point in her life where she will have to traverse through different waves of crippling difficulty and revelations. UchiSaku. Dark themes ahead.**

Ch 5: Closer to the Sun

"Shh Sakura, I'm here. Don't worry." Itachi cooed around a visibly distraught Sakura. She was crying at the crook of his neck, her hair draped around both of them. Her hysterical crying was almost dying down into sniffles. "It felt so real, Itachi. It was a nightmare." Her voice was shaky enough for Itachi to actually feel it.

"Shh it's alright. You're awake now, this is real." Itachi proceeded to grab her left and in his and massage her palm, "See? It's warm right? You can actually feel me." he felt Sakura nod. "Do you remember what happened in this dream?" he asked in anticipation, hoping maybe this time would be a little different.

"I don't" she said with high disappointment. Itachi breathed in loudly through his nose and rested his chin on top of her head. His eyes wandered to the window beside her bed, always remembering the other times this happened.

Often her dreams would be vague and poorly described but she would always claim that she felt it and it was all too real. He could imagine why it would have to be the case for her every time, for someone like her a dream could feel like an eternity when she sleeps.

Itachi proceeded to give her comfort until Dr. Tsunade arrived in their room. Sakura has calmed down considerably and was all red in the face. The doctor offered her a friendly smile and kept her distance incase strangers were not quite easy for her to talk to.

In her eyes she could already see the paternal kind of role Itachi has taken upon himself to play for Sakura, but not all good intentions could bring out good and lasting results. He nudged Sakura away from the crook of his neck, and Tsunade watched the girl almost cover her face in a childlike manner.

"Sakura, this is Dr. Tsunade, she will be taking care of you while you stay here in the hospital." Itachi's leveled voiced helped ease Sakura. She looked at her and tried her best to give a smile, but no words came out of her.

"She's a bit dazed; she has been asleep for three days. Normally she wouldn't be this distraught or in stress, but more often than not we just deal with her confusion in times like this." Tsunade nodded and wrote down the information she thought was important.

She grabbed the chair farthest from them and proceeded to sit down. In Sakura's eyes, Tsunade was different from the other doctors she has had in the past. She gave off a warm aura that she felt herself be drawn to, and her blonde hair added to this effect.

"Hello there, Sakura. I have heard so much about you from your brother, Sasuke. I am also his mentor in the university he studies in." Tsunade spoke in a calm and endearing manner hoping that Sakura could focus on her entirely.

Sakura eyed her lightly and nodded once again, but this time she opted to speak. "Hello, it's nice to meet you." Sakura pushed herself lightly off of Itachi and decided to put space in between them. Tsunade took this opportunity and decided to bring her chair a bit closer. Sakura did not show any signs of discomfort or anything that signaled her closeness to be unwanted. Tsunade later took a mental note that any mentions of affiliating with her brothers could help gain her trust.

"Alright, it's wonderful to hear from you. I would like to talk to you for a brief moment, Sakura. And I am sure as promised by your brother Itachi; as soon as we are done you can be discharged from here. Does that sound good?" Sakura nodded yet again, a bit more determined and enlightened that she was given assurance that she can leave even faster.

Itachi bowed a little and left the room for Sakura's privacy.

* * *

Madara, Itachi, and Shisui were equally displaced in Dr. Tsunade's office. Seeing as it was just an update about Sakura's overall health there wasn't too much of a cause to worry.

All boys were dressed in a pristine yet casual manner; all of them were antsy as to how Sakura will react to where they will take her later tonight. It's her actual first night in the city and none of them were willing to screw it up. By some reason, seeing as Sasuke was the one with her right now in her room helping her pack up, they expected him to quell the jitters in Sakura's nerves.

Tsunade went inside her office quickly and sat down with Sakura's files on her desk. All of them gave their greetings and proceeded to go on with the discussion at hand.

"So as most of you know, Sakura is a different case of KLS. And I'm sure all of you are definitely aware that there is a certain degree of mental and emotional stunting in her too." Three sets of black eyes burned holes in her as she explained. The intensity of their attention was a bit unnerving even for Tsunade.

"Sakura has a mental intelligence of a fourteen year old, a healthy one at that, but my main concern is that she has the emotional capacity of an eight year old. She has a good idea and concept of her grasp over her emotions but overall, it is poorly contained when everything becomes overwhelming. Her coping mechanism is as good as it could get for a child, normally succumbing to the sensation of whatever it is that she is feeling as of the moment, it could be something very disconcerting with the intensity of how much she feels on both sides of the spectrum."

Madara was seated regally in a vacant chair, his imposing aura didn't deter the doctor one bit though. "Interesting, and you caught all of this in just thirty minutes of talking to her?" Tsunade smiled at this and placed Sakura's old medical records.

"With the help of her old files of course, I was able to make a more sound assessment." Tsunade said calmly. "Now, onto the more pressing matter at hand, I would like her to be back here as soon as her sleeping spells start again."

"And may I ask why this is?" Shisui chimed in.

"Sakura has made serious claims that she has felt that she has been truly awake for some time now. I can't ignore this serious claim since it could be something that might be detrimental to her overall health. If something as she claims to be can affect her evidently this much it isn't something I can take lightly." Both Madara and Shisui now looked at Itachi intently as he never bothered to fully expound Sakura's situation in the past.

"Patients who suffer from derealization could have a hard recovery time from separating reality from their dreams, if left untreated her brain could completely rewire itself. Just a few tests will be conducted, and nothing invasive will be done to her. After a couple of tests I will start to determine what kind of therapy would be best for her."

All three of the brothers were quiet, but it was evident that they all had the same thought running in mind. "Could this be because Sakura is finally getting better?" Shisui was the first to speak up. Tsunade brought both of his hands together in a relaxed manner on her lap but kept a serious expression on. "I cannot give a guarantee for sure, but if that's the case this would mean that we should put in more effort for her rehabilitation."

"Very well, if my foolish little brother trusts you, then I do too, and I'm sure these two will follow as well." Madara said smoothly, although with the look in his eye he was angry at Itachi for certain.

"Thank you, Mr. Madara. I guess I will see Sakura in a few days."

* * *

Sakura was busy getting dressed and ready to go out of the hospital, her crying spell this morning was quickly forgotten due to her extreme excitement to see the city while the sun was still shining. Shisui couldn't contain his smile seeing Sakura so giddy, and Itachi was just the complete opposite.

"I'm going to see the city! Shisui! Isn't this great?" Sakura was practically bouncing around as if her body was not aching at all. "Settle down, Sakura. Don't get too excited, you just might get disappointed." Itachi steadied Sakura's head, grabbing her full attention as he placed a facemask on her. "Why do I have to wear this?" she asked, Itachi tucked her hair behind both of her ears and made sure that her scarf was snuggly wrapped around her. "The air from the city is different, Sakura. It might take you a while to adjust, and I don't want you getting sick. Would you like to spend more time here in the hospital if that happens?"

Her green eyes flashed with dread, "No! I'll be safe, I promise!" Shisui grunted at Itachi's over protectiveness yet again. "Are you ready, Sakura?" Sasuke called outside, he was carrying all of her things, which wasn't much to be honest. "Yes!" she responded quickly.

She ran outside to catch up with Sasuke, with one button of her coat left undone. Itachi sighed as the trail of pink disappeared from his sight. "You better not ruin this for her, Itachi." Shisui warned him darkly, his bubbly aura disappearing in a snap of a finger.

Itachi half glared at Shisui, both men were itching to dig the knuckles of their fists to the others face. "You know nothing about her." Itachi said, "And you do?" Shisui rebutted.

"I wasn't the one who left home for my own selfish purposes. You couldn't even stand the sight of her when she was closer to being a corpse." The quick flash of guilt on Shisui's face helped steel Itachi in his spot. "Do you think it was easy for me when you left, brother?" Itachi's voice became a tone deeper, his anger evidently bubbling underneath his skin.

"Your selfishness and incompetence didn't leave me much of a choice. While you were out in the world traveling and doing as you please I was stuck at home, being trained as father's contingency child, but unlike you, I wasn't weak enough to runaway and hide. I never had that luxury." Shisui's eyes hardened at Itachi's words, each sentence digging a dagger deeper into his chest right after another.

"Tell me, was it fun? Did you have a good life? Because while I was busy trying to save our little siblings from a fate worse than death you were out there getting drunk and building whore houses all over the country. Sakura was my only reprieve, and even after father's death I still have to protect her from him. Where were you, Shisui? What gives you the right to act like you know her when most of the time you weren't even there to be for her?"

Shisui, a bit shaken from Itachi's silent outburst, didn't have time to think of a reply. It was true he was selfish in his own way; he left the house and made his own career path for himself, leaving his brothers alone and close to forgetting them.

"And you think making Sakura your doll helps? She's her own person, Itachi. Obviously I'm not the only one being selfish here." Itachi began pushing past Shisui to leave the room. "I only want the best for her." He said to himself.

"Do you, Itachi? Or is that what you want for yourself?"

Without a single word, Itachi went out. Shisui stayed in the room a bit longer trying his best to hide his sour mood in fear of it affecting Sakura.

* * *

Sakura held onto Sasuke's arm tightly as they walked in the streets of the city. Shisui was right beside them and so was Itachi. Sakura was too busy talking and looking around to notice attention she was attracting. Itachi kept his hands in his pockets, hiding the fists he was making because of the countless men looking at her.

Even with her face half covered because of the mask, it still wasn't enough to quite hide her beauty. Some women would look at her, some in wonder because of her long, silky, and oddly colored hair, and some of jealousy.

"Well it's your first day in the city, Sakura! What do you want to eat?" Shisui asked. There were just too many places to eat and Sakura was silently overwhelmed. Sasuke looked down, observing her as they walked through the streets. Her eyes were jotting down from one establishment to another and he already knew that the visual stimulation was a bit too much for her.

"How about having some pasta?" Sasuke suggested silently. Sakura's smile could be seen even through her mask. "Shisui! Let's have pasta!" she half screamed. The excitement in her eyes and the tone of her voice almost melted Itachi's heart.

"Alright, I know just the place for you Imouto! Follow me!"

Luckily enough, the restaurant Shisui brought them to had private booths for dining available. Sakura practically glowed with joy as she ate. "This is amazing, Itachi do you think we can make this at home?" Itachi nodded and gave her a small smile. "Of course, we can always try, Sakura."

"This place also has some amazing fluffy pancakes, Sakura. Would you like to have that as well?" Sasuke asked, and he definitely did not miss how her eyes darted to Itachi first before she could respond… Shisui was not one to miss it happen too.

Although Itachi was always the one who would watch out for what she would always eat, he couldn't deny the look of hope on her face. Would she flash him more of her smile? Will she laugh and giggle at this memory? All of those questions he asked himself only lead to a positive ending.

"I think we should get her some extra jam, I heard they make their own from scratch." Itachi said. Sakura lit up once more making her bright smile even more so.

The stack of jiggling pancakes arrived and all of them dug into it but not as enthusiastically as Sakura. The plate of food vanished just as quickly as it arrived, and it seemed that Sakura wasn't finished moving around just yet.

"It's still early, Sakura, how about we walk some more after this?" Shisui suggested. "Yeah, we don't want you getting fat." Sasuke said flatly. Sakura's elbow made Sasuke choke on his food as it made a precise aim for a sensitive are in his ribs.

The door chimes of the restaurant rang, and a group of students around Sakura's age came inside as a big crowd. All of them wore their uniforms but with their own personalized accents. Sakura's eyes can't help but wander around their perfectly tended hair and their colorful nails, and in their hands were the latest phones with cute cases. Sakura paused and was unable to stop staring; all three brothers that were with her couldn't help but stare at her expression.

Sakura shamelessly eavesdropped on their conversation, listening intently as they talked about the latest fashion, school gossip, and events. The look of pure interest and curiosity was displayed on her face. Sasuke watched diligently, dark eyes following everywhere hers trailed.

Sakura, for the first time in her life started to compare herself with other women her age. It was a new feeling for her, one where she couldn't quite place. It was the budding sense of insecurity, and without her realizing it, she touched her hair. She felt inadequate and plain, something so boring, and so unlike herself.

She sighed deeply and audibly, and with the sudden vacant and tired stare in her face she said something all of a sudden. "Tomorrow is another tiring day."

* * *

"Alright, will you look up for me please?" Sakura followed Tsunade's orders while hiding her aggravation. The light was stinging her eyes and all she wanted to do was take a nap, after what happened the other day Sakura just wanted to fall asleep.

She thought it was mighty boring to stay in the hospital for a few hours just to talk to Tsunade. It was the first time that she had to talk to a doctor for this long, and Itachi's explanation was not enough for her to understand why this has to happen.

"Okay Sakura, you're all good. How do you like the city so far?" Sakura leaned back a little on her chair, trying to ignore how everything smelled too clean and not enough of home. "It's alright" her response quick and short.

"You didn't see anything interesting while you were in the city?" Tsunade waited for Sakura to take the bait. Her green eyes held a look as if it was seeing something far away; she had all the questions but not the right words to use for asking.

"Define interesting" Tsunade lifted a brow at this.

"Something that is new to you, or better yet, something that makes you feel something new." Sakura tried her best in understanding Tsunade's words.

She could remember the colors and the styles the girls wore the other day. The hair styles, the fragrances worn, everything was new to her but at the same time normal for everyone else. It was alienating but she didn't know that it was just yet.

"I did." She said softly, but lucky enough for Tsunade it was quiet in her office for her to hear everything.

She didn't ask Sakura to expound, letting her explain on her own.

"I saw girls… I mean I saw them while we were eating, it was my first time out in the city." Sakura twiddled with her thumbs, trying to find the right words.

"Do women make you feel weird?" Tsunade raised a brow at this.

"N-no, I mean, yes. Wait no, please let me think about it." Sakura put her hands together sheepishly, trying to apologize. Tsunade chuckled at her innocent reaction. "Take your time, Sakura." She said with a warm tone.

"I mean, girls are fine… they didn't make me feel weird like in a bad way, I just felt weird myself. I felt wrong." Tsunade paused again, waiting for her to reply.

"I mean that they had nice hair." her left hand trailed to hers unconsciously. "And they had pretty nails."

She pauses again this time looking at her own.

"It made me feel weird. It was like I was the weird one… they talked about things I could barely comprehend, and the latest trends and the like… I never really thought about making friends, my only friends are my brothers."

"And you think this is something of your doing?" Sakura bows her head at this question.

"No, I think I would have had it better if I didn't have this dumb sleeping spell." The all too bitter tone she had used all of a sudden helped Tsunade determine how volatile and unfiltered her emotions can be at times. Although, she could easily compare Sakura's emotional transparency to a child's, it's the innocence and incomprehensible frustration that makes it easier to treat her.

"Let's see where we can do some damage, Sakura."

* * *

It was one of the many nights Shisui would find himself staring at a sleeping Sakura. His vision starting to betray him in his highly inebriated state; the smell of liquor permeated from ever exhale of his breath and it was as if the stench was directly pouring out of his pores altogether, but even if that was the case it would never be enough to wake up Sakura as she is now.

He was genuinely disgusted with himself watching over Sakura like this. He was drunk, and deliberately himself. No matter what light he looked Sakura in; it would always give her a glow. It made her unbelievably beautiful, and it would always make him yearn for her. It was wrong, he knew.

A chuckle ran passed his liquor stained teeth. "You're disgusting" came in a foreign voice. "My thoughts exactly." came in Shisui's reply.

"I don't think you have business here, Shisui." The calm voice of Itachi pierced his ears. "As do you" Itachi closed the door silently. The metal tray in his hands was placed down right beside Shisui silently. It held water and a few aspirins for the hangover threatening to loom over him in the morning. "It would be best you sober up now. In case Sakura proceeds to wake up tomorrow morning, I would like all of us to be in our best shape." Thick silence passed between the two men. "We promised to show her a good time in the city. I think you are right… I shouldn't keep her from learning and seeing new things." Itachi silently murmured.

Another bought of silence has passed, none of them needed to speak anymore in silent understanding.

"How-" before Shisui could finish her sentence Itachi's hand waved in the air effectively silencing him.

"We should rest, Shisui."

* * *

 **A/N: It's not much but, something is about to happen**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: This is a very graphic story (extremely twisted). If you don't like, don't read. Themes of substance abuse, psychological manipulation, and many more will be present. TRIGGER WARNINGS.**

 _ **UchiSaku. AU/ Graphic content, Rated M for a reason. Don't like? Don't read.**_

 **Summary** **:** **A rare and debilitating disorder took away her chances of living a normal life at a young age, now she is finally coming to a point in her life where she will have to traverse through different waves of crippling difficulty and revelations. UchiSaku. Dark themes ahead.**

Ch 6: 40 Years of Sand and Dune

The thick lining of her throat didn't help her state of vertigo. She felt feverish, she felt like she was burning from the inside out. Her vision swam in and out and danced in all angles where it shouldn't. This was something new to her and the excessive saliva in her throat was a natural reaction of her body preparing her from the onslaught that was about to happen.

The first contraction happened around her chest and diaphragm, the rush of air came out too quickly from her mouth and involuntarily made her use her voice in an incomprehensible manner. She clung to the wall standing with her long hair frayed all around her. Then another gagging sound came out of her and the first thing that spilled out of her mouth was clear and viscous saliva, leaving a dripping trail from her mouth to the floor. Her eyes watered as the dizziness she was experiencing further induced her to try and vomit.

She couldn't make a sound, but it was not like it wasn't her intention. Her green eyes, glazed over themselves, clearly half awake, or barely thereof.

A few more gagging fits happened and finally everything she had ingested in her unconscious state poured out of her stomach; staining her hair and the long sleeves and pants of her pajamas. There was a crinkling sound as she gagged repeatedly and unceremoniously.

Finally her knees began to shake, the unwarranted gagging fits taking its toll on her and she lands on her hands on the puddle of vomit she has made. The curtain of pink hair clung to the moist surface of the floor and the cold sweat on her face.

Right before her final gagging fit ended, Itachi came right on time to see it all happen. The odd crinkling sound that came out of her mouth alarmed him to the highest hell, making him drop whatever it was that he was holding ungraciously.

No words left his mouth, and nothing propelled him further than the ice cold fear in his chest. Right before him he saw things that shouldn't have been a part of the mess that left her mouth. There were multiple wrappers of candy, opened and unopened ones. Some of them didn't have anything in them anymore, some were still neatly packed or half eaten, but nonetheless was still placed inside the wrapping itself.

Sakura looked pale as a ghost, staring directly into him but not actually recognizing him. The scent of vomit attacked his senses ever so strongly, and the signs of exhaustion finally taking its toll on her.

Green and glazed eyes locked in with his, and it didn't waver even for a single moment. She began gagging again but there was nothing coming out of her mouth anymore.

Slowly, Itachi kneeled down to her level. "Sakura-" he said almost breathlessly. He swallowed the words that couldn't leave his mouth. Right before Sakura collapsed, Itachi brought her close, truly ignoring the stench that would now cling to his clothes. He tucked a hair behind her ear and lifter her up almost artfully, making it look like her dead weight was nothing in his arms.

The bathroom was conveniently close this time around, and he immediately began stripping the vomit stained clothes only leaving her covered with her vomit stained hair. The blank look in her eyes indicated that she was barely there, or cared. Her head landed in a dull thud on the porcelain tub, eyes almost closed. Itachi breathed out of his nose loudly.

She looked like a wilting flower.

He paused in his tracks, watching the rise and fall of her pert breasts being lightly covered with her now matted hair. Creases that were never there before underneath her eyes stood out darkly. Itachi's hands felt the excess warmth on her forehead and better understood that she was having a fever also. The water filling the tub mixed perfectly in temperature with years of experience of taking care of Sakura.

The long and slender fingers gently began cleaning her supple skin, the gentle thrumming of Itachi's fingers on her hair relaxed her even further, almost like a gentle kiss to make her dreams all the sweeter.

* * *

Sasuke came home late, late enough for the city lights to finally tone down. The house they are currently renting in for Sakura was eerily quiet. It was as if there was a little hostility permeating in the air.

Dropping his coat on the nearest chair he went straight to Sakura's room only to be surprised to see Itachi sitting beside a sleeping Sakura, but his posture was straight up with an intent stare at the door, evidently expecting him to come in anytime soon.

Itachi did not greet him, there was no subtle smile that offered him silent comfort. The placid look on his face unnerved Sasuke. Sasuke was too caught up before he realized the cold patch on Sakura's forehead.

"Why didn't you tell me she's si-"

Sasuke didn't have the chance to even go another step closer to Sakura when Itachi stood up slowly. His cold presence made Sasuke's face contort with a confused expression.

Without a single word, without a single trace of expression on his face, Itachi opened his closed fist, and inside was the chocolates he gave Sakura. Unmistakably he knew they were his, he was the only one who knows the specific brand that Sakura liked. He was the _only_ one who knew that not even Madara would bring this to her.

Sasuke stood there with slightly wide eyes, doing his very best not to make it too evident that he was unwinding at the seams and losing his composure.

The room felt like it dropped a few temperatures now that Itachi was intently pouring out his hostility towards him without lifting a single finger.

Itachi's palm remained open, and ever so gently the cold sweat slowly gathered on Sasuke's forehead, and once Itachi's other hand finally moved his breathing stopped.

It was quick and deliberate with guileful anger, but to anyone else watching this scene they would think it was just a calm interaction and that Sasuke was just overreacting.

His empty hand took Sasuke's other one and held it firmly, but not too tightly; lifting it up to meet his other palm with the chocolates.

Itachi gently placed the confectionary on his hands, keeping physical contact with him a second too long to make it look like it was not deliberate.

"Don't leave anymore for her, Sasuke." Itachi's deep baritone was subtly threatening him again, even without a single raise in octave. "This has been happening for far too long and I will no longer keep tolerating this."

"Don't make this hard for her, Sasuke."

Sasuke stood lightly frozen in his spot, and with the light click of the door signaled that Itachi was no longer in the room with him.

 _He knew all this time?_

* * *

Tsunade's brow would tick once and a while and the annoying and sporadic pulsing underneath her left eye were beginning to annoy her. It must have been the stress, or maybe the coffee laced with rum, but either way it certainly attributed to the annoying sensations she was feeling right now.

Right beside her was her newest patient, Sakura Uchiha. This was something that concerned her deeply as a doctor, and one of the oddest of the odd stacked on one another. The girl already has KLS, and now there's new news about her sleep walking, ingesting candy with the wrappers intact. She was staring at the multiple folders in her hands, looking at every single one that was taken as documentation ever since the girl was diagnosed with the sleeping spells.

"Has this ever happened before?" Tsunade asked the other person in the room without her eyes leaving the paper. "No." was Itachi's calm answer. Klein-Levin Syndrome doesn't bring out sleep walking out of the patients, sure they don't act like themselves when they are asleep, but that would only happen when there are actually woken up with great effort. She hasn't heard of a case with the patient actually moving on their own, no matter how limited this case is.

Every single medication she has taken since day one didn't bring out or induced the effects of this type of behavior. So what was it exactly that triggered this?

Tsunade couldn't help but grit her teeth. Was it the stress of moving into the city that was making her react this way? Could it be the new factors in her environment that lead her to have a fever as well? All these thoughts ate up most of the voices in Tsunade's head. There was no point in doing any more tests if all the results would show up a negative or led to nowhere useful. The best thing that she could do was actually ask the patient herself…

But what good is that if she's asleep without the definite certainty of when she will wake up, or if she will actually remember.

Albeit this may not be a serious case which determined a person bordering on life and death, but this was just as frustrating.

Tsunade sighs in defeat, and Itachi stayed emotionless on the chair he was seated on. Another loud exhale pressed passed her lips and she forcefully lets go of the tension in her shoulders. "Her stomach is completely empty, and the good news is none of the wrappers went past her stomach… she vomited them out right on time. At least that's one thing we can get off of our chest right now."

Itachi glanced to his right and rested his hand on Sakura's ankle, gripping it a bit firmly almost imitating a massaging motion. It was Itachi's turn to exhale loudly. "I understand." He said with evident relief. It looked like Itachi was the one who couldn't sleep at all. The calm aura around him could deceive anyone at first glance, but Tsunade had spent enough time with people from all walks of life in this hospital to know what they are truly feeling.

"Get some rest, Mr. Uchiha. We can't have you getting sick as well." Itachi didn't deign to give a response but gave her a polite and curt nod. Tsunade left soon after, vowing to return later to check up on her when necessary.

"Please keep your hand there." Sakura begs weakly. The fever has not abated in the slightest but the sleeping spell has immediately left after a day and a half. Her muscles were extremely sore not only from the lack of movement but also because of the fever that prevented her from actually stretching. She couldn't remember a single thing before she went to the hospital, but the only thing that she knows is that the only reason she is here is because of her fever.

Her eyes were lightly sunken this time; it was the key accessory that made her truly sick. The burning sensation in her throat made her want to cry. Her lips were pale and certain parts of her face were blushing pink due to the heat she was exuding. Hey eyesight couldn't adjust well or stay open for too long due to their dryness, but she knew exactly whose hand was placed on her forehead. It was cold but not cold enough to make her skin tingle in pain. It was cool and smelled strongly of disinfectant and other antibacterial soap. It felt like an eternity until Sakura finally reached for the hand on her head, and she guided it along the junction of her head and neck, nuzzling its cooling relief at her leisure.

"Hn" came out of Sasuke's mouth, and she didn't have to open her eyes to know that he was smiling lightly. "I missed you." She whispered. The hot breath of her mouth caressed the skin of his palm. "You didn't bring the watch." He said half jokingly, trying his best to distract her from her condition.

"I don't even remember where I placed it?" she said. There was no tone of frustration or anger and annoyance, just the sound of defeat surrendering to her situation. She was half expecting it to be where she placed it, and half expecting Itachi to already figure out what the heck it was that Sasuke has given him.

"Do you want anything?" he asked, sincerely wanting to make her even a bit better. He felt extremely guilty after all; he almost harmed Sakura in serious way.

"I want some fruit, sweet fruit." Sasuke sighed internally rolling his eyes. _What is up with her and sweets?_

"Other hand." She commanded. Sasuke immediately offered the other one that still felt cold to the touch. She wrapped Sasuke around her little finger and he would gladly let her stretch him tighter. Sasuke felt a little relief to at least feel she was no longer that warm. Sasuke enjoyed the comforting silence between the two of them. "I'll have to take my hand with me to get you your damn fruit you know that." He stated. "Wait till I fall asleep." She murmured back, and it didn't take too long until she did do so again.

Sakura didn't ask for the other cooler hand, nor did she remove the now warm one she was currently nuzzling. Sasuke regrettably pulled his hand away, leaving her in the room all alone. Much like Tsunade he was also a little frustrated with what was currently happening to Sakura, it was one problem after another.

She was finally waking up faster, but the in exchange she could indefinitely harm herself when no one is looking. Hints of anxiety trailed at the back of his mind the moment he was out of her room and he knew better than to believe that Sakura could harm herself in one of the safest establishments in all of Konoha.

He shook his head and proceeded to go with the task at hand. _'I should also have faith in her'_

* * *

Sakura woke up to the sound of Itachi peeling apples. Her mouth watered just thinking about crunching the cool fruit in between her mouth. The fluttering of her eyes and the movement of her head caught Itachi's attention, and quickly offered her a gentle smile. "How are you feeling?" he lightly spoke to her.

Thin and feminine arms lifted themselves, begging for his comforting touch. Itachi was not one to refuse this and wiped his hands of the sticky apple juice. He placed his arms around her and lightly lifted her on his lap "So warm" she whispered, Itachi hummed in response. She still has a fever but it has been steadily lowering every day.

"Do you think we can go out today?" she asked. "Sakura you know that we can't go out of the hospital yet." Her hands trailed towards his tracing nonsensical circles on his skin. "I just want to have some fresh air…" her green eyes captures his, doing her best to silently beg.

Itachi sighs and the smell of peppermint hits her face. "Ten minutes." He said. She snickered internally with getting away with what she wants.

"You sit and stay here alright?" Itachi told me again for the nth time. I knew how stressful it must have been for him taking care of me, most especially now that we don't live in a 'safe environment' as he would put it. The persistent ringing of his phone did not stop and it finally forced him to put a certain amount of distance between us. It's a good thing though; for once I can finally enjoy this new garden on my own without the added guilt.

I can see the new added stress lines in Itachi's face and the darkening bags underneath his eyes. _It's me._

This must be the sense of defeat Sasuke would talk to me about sometimes when he knows he has a patient that's beyond saving and the best thing to do is just accept it. He never mentioned that accepting will still hurt as well. Something else must have happened big that they're not telling me _again._

Itachi's tall stature stood out in the garden, he has tense shoulders again and maybe it's because he's been sleeping in that crummy hospital chair that's why he's slouching… he rarely slouches. I could feel another headache come around, and the all too odd pain in my throat doesn't help either. Sometimes I'd like to believe I'm actually trying to make a difference, I'm doing my best to be better, but it's so damn hard sometimes when you just can't remember.

"You're too beautiful to be frowning you know, Sakura?"

A man I have never seen before in my life approached me. I can feel the cold sweat form in my scalp, the sensation a familiar yet unwelcomed one. He didn't look too nice or welcoming covered in an all black coat and a matching bandana to cover his too round head. A nasty scar on his face matched his persona, he was just so scary. _How does he know my name?_ I wanted to say this but, nothing came out of my mouth. I couldn't remove my eyes from him as a smirk covered his face, "You must be wondering who I am right? You've only known no one else but your so called brothers." His gravelly voice was almost like scraping my ears. "I hope you haven't forgotten your real name, Ms. Haruno" he was so tall.

His smile grew a bit wider and his beady eyes focused in the direction where Itachi was standing. "I would like to take this opportunity to make you remember mine as well, I'm Ibiki Morino." He offered a gloved hand towards me but the fear got the best of me right now. _Haruno,_ he said. My real last name?

Haruno. Haruno. Haruno.

"What do you think you're doing?" Itachi stormed in, this time the lines in his eyes made him look more terrifying more than usual when he's angry. "I'm merely trying to make conversation with this young lady, Mr. Uchiha." Itachi looked like he was ready to throw a fist.

"It looks like I am no longer welcomed here, Ms. Haruno. I hope you have a great day, and maybe when you finally have the chance to learn more, you can go out and seek me for the truth."

"What do you mean?" I asked. So it's not just Itachi who's hiding things from me? "Don't talk to him, Sakura. He's just one of those strangers I talked to you about." My eyes began darting in between the two men with equal animosity targeted at one another. "Poor girl, you even managed to manipulate all that she knows didn't you? My. My. You Uchiha's sure are a carefully tenacious bunch when it comes to the truth huh?"

His eyes landed on mine again, and there was the look that I hated the most. Pure pity crossed his features for a few moments and vanished as he was about to turn around. The truth, what truth was he talking about?

"W-wait!" I stood up about to reach for the man but didn't have the chance to fully reach out. Itachi's hand viciously gripped my forearm, and I felt the grip tighten to a painful extent. "I-ibiki!" but the man was no longer within sight. "You're acting irrationally, Sakura." Itachi said with clenched teeth. I can see that he was trying to contain his anger and annoyance. "What is he talking about?!"

"Nothing important."

"Nothing important?! If it's nothing important then why can't you tell me?" he didn't reply, only giving me his annoying cold stare. I could see that he was just breathing so hard right now and so was I. "You're hurting me Itachi!"

"This is not how I raised you, Sakura." My heart couldn't contain itself. The tears began clouding my vision. "Why can't you just tell me? I just want to be normal." His eyes could no longer meet mine. There was already a budding sob in my throat, "I hate y-"

Itachi's hand darted from my hand to my jaw, clapping down so hard that I couldn't proceed to talk. This has never happened before. "You should go to sleep, Sakura. You're just cranky."

The pain from the hand gripping the hinges of my jaw increased but I didn't fail to notice the light sting on my neck. He released me finally, and the sobs went out in full bursts. "H-how cood yo-"

The attack of another sleeping spell approached me, but this time it was more intense. It was unlike any other before where there was a heavy tug that eventually made me close my eyes eventually, but this time it demanded to be shut.

"Ita-" she said breathlessly right before the darkness overcame her vision.

* * *

The sun has finally fallen down, and Sasuke arrived on time only to see Sakura surprisingly asleep. Itachi sat there reading a book calmly and loyaly staying by Sakura's side.

"When did she fall asleep? She just woke up today." Sasuke placed down all of the fruit Sakura loved in season. "Have you disinfected yourself?" Itachi asked without looking up. Sasuke internally rolled his eyes at his older brother. He pauses a little as he noticed that her eyes were lightly puffy and pink. "Did she-?" Sasuke didn't have to finish his sentence for Itachi to know what she meant.

"It was odd, the mood swings are back again. I noticed too late because she woke up in a good mood." Itachi said deceptively calm. Sasuke sighed out lightly. He came a bit closer seeing Sakura has changed into comfier pajamas than the usual hospital gown. "We can bring her home tomorrow, Dr. Tsunade said so herself. There's no extreme damage done to her throat, no internal bleeding. Her fever is gone now too, so it would be alright to go home as soon as possible in the morning." With careful and well calculated actions, Sasuke started checking up on Sakura's physique or if anything was wrong that might have been missed. His eyes landed on her swollen eyes and began imagining the scene Sakura must have caused if she cried this much for this to happen.

His gentle hands began caressing her cheek, her face finally back into a somewhat healthy color but still pale nonetheless. Itachi began interrupting his thoughts right before Sasuke could check for her pulse through the junction between her neck and shoulder. "I think we should bring Sakura home" Itachi said calmly. Sasuke stopped before he could pull down, Sakura's collar. "Yeah, what do you think we're about to-"

"I mean we should bring her back home to the estate." Sasuke whipped his head in Itachi's direction, apparent annoyance on his face and clear discontent with what he just said. "Her health comes before your paranoia, Itachi." His voice turning into a volatile tone

"An investigator managed to find Sakura today." In an instant after Itachi has mentioned this Sasuke's temper flared down a bit. "Before he could have gone into details, I was able to stop him… but he provoked Sakura's curiosity already. She was bordering hysterical right before she fell asleep again."

"Was there someone else who saw, Itachi?" the man shook his head in response. Sasuke sighs in a tired fashion, furiously rubbing at his face as if it was going to wipe out all the stress he was feeling. He looked back at the calm sleeping face of Sakura and tucks a couple of stray hairs behind her ear. "What happened to her jaw?" Sasuke focused too much on Sakura that he missed the pause in Itachi's words. "She was to be restrained before she could hurt herself."

Sasuke's contorted into one of distrust but kept it to himself. Something did not sit well with him about what Itachi had just said, but when was Itachi the one to lie exactly? His brother raised them both on honesty, and as for Sakura, he only kept the truth for her for the betterment of things. "We can't bring her home, as much as we would want to, Itachi. We'll just have to ask Madara to provide security outside, and-"

"That might add more suspicion." Itachi only added. "But it would be better if keeps them away from her." Itachi stayed quiet at this. "I'm speculating that it is the change in environment that's keeping her stressed." He murmurs. Sasuke scoffs in return, "Her, or you?" Itachi sighs as he closed his eyes. "Both." Itachi kept his eyes closed for a while and that was when Sasuke saw how stressed Itachi actually is. With his eyes closed you can finally see how discolored his eyes are from the lack of sleep. All these years, the very moment Itachi had assumed the position to take care of them both when they were younger, he didn't necessarily stop. He managed to study well and take over the family business _**alone**_ , without the help of Shisui or the guidance of Madara. Maybe he has been suffering all this time and none of them bothered to look at him for a good moment. Sasuke felt bad all of a sudden. "We can't take her home now that she's getting better or worse." He hated how unsure his voice sounded. "Either way, Sakura may be a kid in more aspects than one, but it just means we can't hide the truth forever. We have to tell her the truth."

Itachi stood up so fast that Sasuke felt the air rush past him. With long and brisk strides Itachi reached the far end of the room to grab the pre sliced fruit he has already made a while ago and placed it right beside Sasuke, effectively joining him staring at Sakura. Itachi nods silently.

"It might not be the best time to do so, considering her situation." Sasuke thinks about this. "As soon as things turn to lighten up, we might be able to do so. We have to talk about this as brothers, we have to form a solid story still where there won't be room for doubt." Technically they won't be lying to her; they will only provide her certain fractions of the truth.

Itachi silently agrees.

* * *

Sakura was still well asleep in her room in the city. The warm smell of fabric conditioner greeted her, and it was no longer the harsh lights scorching her eyes the first she opens them. The warm nightlight was still open even though she can see from the tiny gaps from the curtains that it was still morning. What time was it?

She forcefully lifts herself from the bed, ignoring the stiffness in every part of her. The door opens gently to show Itachi entering with a glass of water. Sakura freezes at the sight but could not understand why. Itachi offers her a gentle smile and a 'good morning' further confirming that she did wake up on time. There was a settling unease in her stomach at the sight of her beloved brother, and he too noticed the slight change in stature with Sakura. "Is something wrong? Are you feeling alright?" he asked.

Sakura did not deign a single reply but proceeded to just look at him, not understanding or remembering what happened for her to feel this way about Itachi. It was a blurry dream and before her mood turned sour she reached towards Itachi with both arms. She was confused and didn't know what to say or how to say what she was feeling. She missed the look of relief on Itachi's face and he all too readily accepted her plea with both of his arms as well. She buried her face in his chest, inhaling his clean scent but still unfamiliar with what exactly happened. She grips him tighter and Itachi welcomed this. "Itachi, did something happen?"

"Nothing really, you were such a behaved girl while we were in the hospital. The doctors even said that there was nothing bad that happened so we were allowed to leave early." Itachi kissed the crown of her head lightly. Sakura couldn't respond, she knew he would just paraphrase it into another word that would lead to the answer 'nothing'. She pushed down the frustrating response and fell limp, too tired to comprehend or remember anything. She sighs and looks up at Itachi who still kept that small smile reserved solely for her. "I think we should prepare breakfast, what do you think?" Although Sakura didn't have much of an appetite she knew he wouldn't take no for an answer.

It was then that she realized that she needed someone to actually talk to, and the person she craved the most to talk with was Tsunade. Her instinct was pushing her to converse with the blonde woman for advice, seeking out someone other than her brothers for the first time.

"Can we have toast?" she asks quietly, Itachi tucks a stray hair behind her ear. "Of course, Sakura, we can also go shopping right now for different jams. Would you like that?" Itachi bated, trying his best to manipulate and abate the brewing storm of a tantrum. Luckily it was enough for Sakura to forget her thoughts for a moment. She pushes away with an excited smile. "That would be great!"

"Let's go change first alright?" Itachi said, "Okay, I'll be quick!" Sakura rushed into her small closet and began stripping not caring if Itachi was there.

* * *

 **A/N: thoughts?**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This is a very graphic story (extremely twisted). If you don't like, don't read. Themes of substance abuse, psychological manipulation, and many more will be present. TRIGGER WARNINGS.**

 _ **UchiSaku. AU/ Graphic content, Rated M for a reason. Don't like? Don't read.**_

 **Summary** **:** **A rare and debilitating disorder took away her chances of living a normal life at a young age, now she is finally coming to a point in her life where she will have to traverse through different waves of crippling difficulty and revelations. UchiSaku. Dark themes ahead.**

 **Read notes below once done, please. Thank you.**

Ch 7: Cain and Abel

Soft pitter-patter of feet was the only sound that could only be heard in the floor they currently occupy. The well insulated condo was far from the sounds that the city provided. Sakura was tumbling and running around, trying to encourage sweat and action into her muscle and skin. She felt extremely restless as of the moment, although it was early in the afternoon; it seemed like the day just dragged on too much too long for her. She was becoming too irritable, whether she knew it or not. Her mood was starting to become a regular occurrence, her brothers and her doctor couldn't describe why this was happening exactly. Her sleeping spells were far in between now, verging on 6 days apart if she's lucky and on average 4 days. The said one month stay in the city extended to a couple more weeks.

She has truly never felt more awake in her life than before; the lethargy that she thought has stuck to her bones had staved off and instead was replaced with bursting amounts of energy. She felt like she could run for hours, like she could finally walk out into the city without the help of her brothers. She dreaded the time of the day when she would have to head to Tsunade's office to 'talk'. The talks were frequent and too long, it irked her to answer the same answers over and over again. The doctor refused to take any other answer just as is. They would often glare at one another when Sakura was in her feistier moods. It frustrated Tsunade more than anything else, from a sweet girl turned an angst filled teenager. The sudden mood swing and lashing out was starting to bother the doctor.

The soft jingle of keys and the sound of hinges unlocking snapped her attention to a halt. She panted harshly; the biting cold of the centralized conditioning burned her nostrils. Her green eyes saw the almost ominous like figure of her brother Madara walk in, all tall and muscular in his glory.

Sakura was just wearing a modest slip of white. The thin straps on her shoulders slipped a little the moment her shoulders stopped tensing. Madara caught this and almost snapped in anger for the choice of clothing that she was left in. Although the material wasn't technically see through or tight, it still left little to the imagination. The contours of her body were well pronounced in a subtle fashion. "What in the world are you doing?" his tone betrayed the intimidating look that he was trying to wear for Sakura. "Exercise." She said simply. Her long hair was left in a messy braid which Madara assumed she did for herself. The sun was high in the sky and its light flitted through the interior of the place, ironically, it seemed like the place only brightened up because Sakura was the vibrant splash of color there. He raised a delicate brow at the current stance Sakura took up. She was like a cornered animal. One thing was for sure though, ever since the time Sakura got sick with a fever she was never the same again after the hospital confinement.

She became guarded, or at least, as guarded as she could possibly be. She just became overall annoying to deal with most especially when she kept her tantrums up and that bratty attitude with her with the one line answers. 'Fucking teenagers' Madara thought.

Sakura became flustered with all the staring Madara was doing. She was not sure if her brother was thinking of something bad about her of he was planning something awful, like making her study an entire chapter in one sitting. Sakura flinched when Madara nodded to himself in approval for something she wasn't sure of. "Get dressed into something comfy. We're going out." He said almost gruffly. Sakura lifted a brow at this, but didn't have time to argue the moment Madara lowered his, a silent threat that if she didn't follow there was something more to come. She scurried off real quick in fear of a surprise quiz made by Madara.

The scurrying of feet left Madara at ease knowing she was getting dressed herself. It was a miracle that Itachi wasn't with her, the boy barely left her side or left her with nothing to do. He breathed in lightly trying to still his nerves from the sight of a flustered Sakura. She was such a docile little thing, always cooped up somewhere, lightly running or admiring the smallest things. She would always do something you'll expect her to be doing. She's always in one place, but now it seemed like she was starting to go to places on her own. Madara looked outside of the living room windows. They were located in the highest floor possible, and in the morning the city wasn't as impressive of a sight under the sun.

Suddenly his hearing became muted, not a single sound passed through his ears as he watched birds fly through his view. Black little things flitting through the sky and perching on the heated cement of any building ledge they can latch onto. Madara's heart quickened at the thought of Sakura jumping off of the building. His pulse reverberated through his temple. The image so unexplainably vivid, as if what he was thinking was actually real, but he calmed himself down eventually. A calm realization just washed over him.

"Madara?" her voice called out to him catching his attention. For once he was at a loss for words while looking at Sakura. She changed into a pair of light washed jeans, and a delicate looking white wool sweater. Her hair was still in a messy braid, the hairs that stuck to her face was finally starting to dry off from her sweat and Madara waited in baited breath.

"Come here for a second." His voice was hushed as if his throat refused to give way for the air to pass. Sakura quirked her brows together, confused to see Madara like this but followed nonetheless. Something was affecting her big brother so much and it confused her. When she was close enough to finally touch Madara gently tugged at her arm and made her sit on his lap facing him. "What's happening, Mada-ani?" genuine concern crossed her features this time seeing Madara this way as if he was seeing something like never before. His eyes we now half lidded, long inky lashed fanning his high cheekbones. Her big brother was such a handsome man, just like all of her brothers.

Madara's hands cupped her face, warm and gentle like he always was to her in moments like these. His long hair framed the rest of his body, the sated smile on his lips calmed Sakura significantly for some reason. "You're getting better, aren't you?" his voice was so deep, if she wasn't this close she would have never heard him. She couldn't find it in herself to give a vocal response, all she could do was nod at him for an answer. Madara exhaled through his nose observing Sakura closely, and this did not bother her seeing as his eyes roamed all over her body. Just the mere stance and the way she acted have changed considerably. The meek little girl they were taking care of for the longest time was no more. Younger bodies have so much energy in them, he thought. He chuckled at the idea, catching Sakura off guard. "What's so funny?" Madara smiled at her question, he fully closed his eyes and placed his forehead on hers. Sakura pouted unknowingly at this.

"You're growing up, my little robin." He murmured. The smell of mint wafted through her nose at their closeness. The overtly male perfume that he wore crowded her senses, making her feel all the safer, remembering all the times she had spent sleeping in her big brothers' arms or just letting them just simply hold her. His right hands ventured past her cheek and dove right into her scalp, massaging it, and eventually trailed lower to the end of her braid and removing the very thing that tied it together. Her hair was curled lightly from the braid she wore. Madara actively combed it with his fingers to straighten out the knots that had formed. Sakura just didn't understand what Madara was getting at right now, but it was as if she was starting to get affected by the calmness he was exuding. "You're growing up too quickly." he said.

"You're finally spreading your wings, little robin." Just as suddenly scattered shadows covered them fast and quick, Sakura watched the flock of birds fly past their windows real quick. Madara's eyes never left her face though, he chuckled again this time. It was good to know that she still had that innocence left in her. "Madara, I'm not a bird." She huffed, humoring him a little. He directed her head to his again to make sure that their foreheads were resting on one another again. "I know you aren't. You just remind me of one." The solemn look on his face was replaced with a bigger smile. "Sasuke was just like this when he was your age. Although you guys don't have that big of an age gap, I'd like to believe we all went through this phase one by one."

Sakura was listening, pouring all of her attention to the words of her brother. "You must be confused right now for your age; everything is different for you than anyone else. I understand you completely.-" he paused.

Sakura grabbed both of his hands that now rested on her waist, firmly gripping them as if to signal that she was still listening. Madara watched her eyes get clouded with guilt, knowing how she has been treating everyone around her unfairly and rudely. Her nose tingled with a warm sensation, the signal of tears that was about to flow but she stopped this. Madara couldn't help but smile as he noticed. "Sasuke was never as bratty like this." Madara rolled his eyes in a comical fashioned and scoffed loudly. Sakura giggled at this. "That's what you know." He muttered.

"I won't be there for you every step of the way like Itachi is, or watch you like he does, but I'm proud that you are learning, and that you are still my little Sakura." The girl blushed at her brother's praise. All the annoyance melted right off of her that instant, making her think about all of the actions that she has done as of late. "Madara- ani, I love you." She said sweetly, so innocently.

Warmth bloomed in his chest, an overwhelming surge of action coursed through his veins, but he squashed it vehemently inside. Instead he breathed out, and smiled. "I love you too, Sakura." He prayed that this side of her will never change; he hopes she will always be this affectionate. She is the only woman he'll ever care for like this asides from her mother.

It was a sweet and tender moment that he would like to remember for himself. "We better get going now, we don't want to be late." He said a little too loudly this time as he helped Sakura get off of him and he followed suit. Sakura instinctively held onto one of his hands as they were walking out of the condo. "Are we going to the hospital again?" she asked genuinely curious. She didn't recall that there would be an appointment today.

"Hm, that remains to be seen." Madara answered playfully.

* * *

Lights, numerous lights and sounds enveloped her. She was in shock and in complete awe. There were various people littered on the floor, almost everyone was either occupied by a screen or watching someone play. "Madara this is amazing!" she screamed as the loud music and noise was deafening almost. Madara smiled at her, remembering that when his little brothers were much smaller brats, reacted almost the same. The arcade was a small reprieve from the prim and proper life that their father had built around them. He was allowed to be as crass and as violent as he wanted to be without having any real consequences to his action. Sakura watched people dance around imitating what they saw on screen. She played more than she could handle in the arcade, hands eventually sore and cramping from the never done before activities that she just went through, but she looked absolutely exhilarated. Madara accompanied her gracefully, subtly intimidating every boy who ogled too long or stood too close. Luckily Sakura was too oblivious with the attention that everyone was giving her. The lustful stares from men and delinquents alike, or the jealous stares the women of those said men would dart to her. But ever so blissfully she brushed them off one by one, not really caring or understanding the type of attention she draws from other people.

The two of them got stuck in one game in particular, Sakura enjoying wielding the toy gun a little too much and randomly shooting at the monsters in the game. Her voice was starting to become raw from screaming too much and it was Madara's little cue to swipe her away from here. Sakura was still giggling with the adrenaline in her system. People looked at her left and right as she was whisked away by Madara's careful lead.

She looked like a young princess being lead off by her suspicious looking consort, all dressed in black with a matching face mask to cover half of his face. So as long as no one knew who he was he was fine, it wasn't necessarily nice for opposing enemies to find out that the greatest up and coming politician Madara Uchiha was seen escorting the Uchiha's well hidden adopted sister.

Madara deeply relished the privacy that they were provided right now. The small, extremely well hidden café they stayed in was difficult to find and get into. Only whispers from the elite and the resourceful could manage to squeeze a reservation in, or let alone reserve the entire place just to spend a few hours or a meal with Sakura. The almost suffocating facemask that he wore was now removed from his face, and his coat long forgotten on a coat rack. Sakura was eating a carefully crafted meal made of pasta and a pastry paired with some sparkling wine. Her hair was a mess but it looked like she completely belonged in the western styled café. Madara smiled at the sight of her eating and looking around all wide eyed. She almost but spluttered when the bubbles in her nonalcoholic drink tickled her palette. It was an endearing sight, all the more so when she barely notices the detail and extreme extravagance of the place.

"Don't eat too fast, I don't want you getting sick. We have one more place to go to." Madara said coolly as he sipped the scotch in his glass. Her green eyes widened in excitement, and she was just right to do so. It seemed like Madara was hell-bent on treating Sakura to a fun day today.

Right outside their private view of the city the pavement was starting to get painted in white as the tiniest flecks of snow started to fall again. "What's this one going to be next Madara- ani?" she asked, all giddy and excited. He just smirked in response to annoy her more. She quickened the pace ignoring the warning Madara had asked and rushed to their next destination wherever that was.

The car that he previously drove was nowhere in sight in the parking lot and this time instead there was another black car all sleek and darkly tinted that drove them to their next destination. Sakura missed the heavy security guards in the area that were obviously working for Madara. The man behind the wheel looked at the rearview mirror to take approval from Madara to move and he gave it, whilst closing the indoor window to give them more privacy.

Sakura kept probing Madara for at least a little clue as to where they could possibly be going. "Come on, Madara-ani! At least a little clue won't hurt?" she all but begged this time around. He was close to giving in, but he kept reminding himself that he was not a lesser man to do so.

The ride didn't take too long with the light amount of traffic on that day. The car halted and the facemask that Madara wore was back on his face becoming all mysterious and such. This time it was an amusement park that they stopped in, all lively with sounds and the seasons festivities. Madara was completely on edge watching out every possible position to escape in any case something might go wrong. Sakura was too distracted for the life of her, looking at every ride that caught her interest. Most of them intimidated her with heights and varying speeds in all directions. She was steering them to a particular roller coaster but Madara stopped her in her tracks. "That's not where we're going tonight young lady." He chided. "Then where?" Sakura swore that she could see him smirk underneath that black mask.

Madara took the lead aiming for the deepest part of the amusement park where the crowd was slowly thinning and most of the people lined up were couples. The ferris wheel was huge and traversed slowly, it wasn't something that looked particularly interesting for Sakura, but she waited in baited breath because she knew Madara might have something up his sleeve. Madara watched Sakura observe the people in line, all couples holding hands much like what she would do to her brothers. Their faces were close to one another, speaking hushed words for their ears only with a light blush on the apples of their cheeks. Sakura watched but didn't completely understand the gravity of the situation. One couple in particular that held hands together had both of their faces a hair width apart, lips lightly touching when one of them spoke but not fully kissing. Madara watched Sakura's face; he was expecting a lot of couples here but not as brazen as the ones that was right in front of them.

Her face was blank, or more like just taking in what they were doing. Like a flash of lightning the man suddenly cupped the girls cheek and kissed her forehead tenderly and moved on with the line. Sakura tightened her grip on Madara's hand and her free one flew to her forehead, the very same spot where most of her brothers would always kiss her. Madara all but hid his smile even more when he saw the light blush that dusted her cute face.

"Mada-ani, they love one another like we love one another." She said in a hushed tone just for him to catch.

Madara stilled, the situation dawning onto him. "Yes" was all he could say. The assistant lead them to their own private booth and the whirring of the machine was the only thing that was heard besides the occasional sounds of awe Sakura would make the higher the wheel rotated. She was basically glued to the windows, cooing at how bright the lights are and it looked like billions of stars. Sakura was never like this, never inside their own home, she will never be this happy as long as she's stuck where they keep her.

Sakura looked at Madara, shadows playing and making shaped on his white skin. He was so beautiful in this light, or maybe it was because of the beauty of the place that's why Sakura just noticed this. Although he kept a cool face she felt like there was something amiss. "Aniki?" she whispered. "Is there something wrong?" she asked.

Madara shook his head, easing her worried a little bit. "Come here, little bird." Sakura didn't hesitate to assume the same position like the one they did this morning. It was like instinct all natural and the same. Her soft thighs were warm and her heat bled through his clothes. The dark did very little to the vibrancy of her eyes. "Will you promise your big brother one thing?"

Sakura tilted her head to the side, "What is it?" her soft lips pursing. "No matter what happens, you'll always come back to me." _Me._

It was not a _we,_ not an _us,_ but _**me.**_

Sakura scoffed, thinking this was becoming too trivial and she giggled. "Of course, Aniki!" she exclaimed, singing to the high heavens her devotion and promise without thinking of the gravity of the words she was letting go of. Madara breathed out loudly again, resting his forehead on hers. Sakura remembered the couple right in front of them just now, how they did the very same thing her brothers would do to her. There was no malicious or sexual intent in her eyes, no abashment, no shying away because she didn't know that what they were doing wasn't exactly something a brother and a sister should be doing.

"No matter what you find out, you'll always love me, right?" he asked, so vulnerable and unsure. This lack of confidence in his tone was starting to scare Sakura. "Big brother, I will always love you. We are family right?" she whispered back tenderly, the innocence burned Madara to the core. Madara placed his face closer and met no resistance from Sakura. Their lips could touch if one of them spoke.

The wheel stopped, staying in a standstill as each and every passenger was granted time to enjoy the view at the highest peak, but the both of them were too distracted. Sakura felt like having a heavy heart knowing that she has overlooked each and every single one of her brothers and the burdens that they all carried. "When I completely become better, I'm going to help each and every single one of you." She said in a small voice, shaking, on the verge of tears but not quite. "I'll be a good Uchiha, the kind you all will be proud of."

Madara's sullen smile was handsome, "What did we do to deserve you." Sakura's mouth felt warm as Madara placed his over hers. It was a simple kiss, no other movement besides the simple action of placing a pair of lips onto another. Madara stayed there for what felt like an eternity, although Sakura didn't know what this meant exactly, it was the first time someone did this to her. The sensation was so different.

Madara parted from her lips eventually, savoring it as much as he could. He ignored the fact that he was decades older than her. It was a chaste kiss, in his opinion. The tiny token of affection was something that he had wanted to give her for the longest time, as each of his brothers must have thought so too.

This tiny reprieve was something he has been wanting for the longest time from his Sakura.

* * *

The trip home was lulling Sakura's tired bones to sleep. The sensory overstimulation from today's activities finally took the toll on her body, she was sleepy but it a sated way. She was buzzing and happy, resting her head on her big brother's shoulder. She welcomed the sleep that washed over her eventually, for once not feeling like a curse but a blessing that granted her rest to face another day.

Madara eventually had to carry her to their condo. She was dozed off happily in his arms, not having a care in the world when she was usually in this kind of state. Madara opened the door to their floor effortlessly as if resting the majority of her weight to his other hand like it was nothing. The sight of a seething Itachi greeted him full force, sitting on a chair with an ominous look on his face although deceptively calm. "Glad that you are finally home." He said.

Madara just responded with 'Hn'. Itachi stood up too quickly, the rage well contained within his actions. "Let go of her before she gets dirtied by you, Madara." Itachi's deep voice verged on gravely, rasping the little venom he intended to place behind each and every word. Madara scoffs at this, smirking at his obvious aggravation. "Be careful who you threaten, little brother. I'm not as gracious as you think I am today." Both men in the room were ready to snap at one another, if it weren't for the girl in Madara's arms they would have beaten each other to a bloody pulp already.

A soft sigh escaped Sakura as she snuggled deeper into Madara's chest, in turn making him smirk smugly. "I'd be careful if I were you, Itachi."

Madara, unlike the rest of his brothers, was overtly violent when he was given a chance and reason to be. He wasn't afraid of lashing out when provoked, it just so happens that he was easier to stroke than the rest of them. Itachi wasn't dumb enough to compromise the Sakura in a situation like this. "Leaving her in a fucking slip, if this is how you usually leave her like this morning I would consider seriously starting to hire more capable help." Madara's glare was wild, matching Itachi's violent one. The rare snarl was placed on the younger ones lips. "I have dedicated my entire life for her, I am the only one more capable of taking care of Sakura. You think anyone can just take care of her like the way she is?" the spite in Itachi's voice edged the hairs on Madara's arms in the wrong way. Adrenaline was slowly coursing through their bodies, numbing them down considerably just to prepare them to have the ability to not be bothered by pain from a fight.

Although Sakura was nestled safely in Madara's arms, the man took brisk strides towards Itachi, malevolent looking and intimidating in nature. In his ungodly towering height, he lowered himself very lightly to face Itachi, letting Sakura's backside brush over him slightly. "I don't care what you think of yourself, _little brother_ -" Madara pauses, giving him a mocking smile. "You're not a hero for shamelessly pining for someone you will never have."

In a gentle manner, betraying every single notion of silent violence that they want to enact towards one another, Madara hands Itachi the girl, careful not to make it uncomfortable and giving her the warm contact of Itachi's body as to not be bothered by the cold.

"As much as I want to teach you a lesson, I have better things to do." His grin aggravated Itachi to the highest hell, but he held Sakura closer instead, reminding himself that there are more important things to do than act on his craving to kill the man.

Madara turned around having his black coat billow behind him as he walked in big strides.

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks to all of you, you're all great, will post more regularly now. I feel amazing to see how much I progressed-ish (if I did do so.) I'm slowly getting comfy interacting with you guys. Feel free to privately message me if you want to discuss something or ask something. Thank you again, to all of you.**

 _ **ALSO,**_ .1, **you are close. Thank you so much for paying attention.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This is a very graphic story (extremely twisted). If you don't like, don't read. Themes of substance abuse, psychological manipulation, and many more will be present. TRIGGER WARNINGS.**

 _ **UchiSaku. AU/ Graphic content, Rated M for a reason. Don't like? Don't read.**_

 **Summary** **:** **A rare and debilitating disorder took away her chances of living a normal life at a young age, now she is finally coming to a point in her life where she will have to traverse through different waves of crippling difficulty and revelations. UchiSaku. Dark themes ahead.**

 **IMPORTANT NOTE AT THE BOTTOM PLEASE READ IF YOU CAN, THANK YOU. 3**

Ch 8: Breaking of Bread

The morning came without a single hitch, further elating the already bursting happiness Sakura was feeling within. Her body ached with the events from yesterday, just thinking about the amount of fun that she had with her big brother made her extremely happy. For a good moment, Madara was able to make her forget just how much of her life she had spent either with her eyes closed or just within the confines of a house or hospital. She was in such a good mood that she began combing her hair on her own, even to the end of the tips.

Sakura began trying to make her bed, tucking in everything that she could and should. Itachi caught the sight of Sakura, brimming with actual happiness. The sun was already up high this morning, not a single ominous cloud in sight. The way the light hits her face made her look like she was glowing. Green eyes caught the sight of black eyes observing everything she was doing; a smile spreads on her face. "Good morning, Itachi!" the man couldn't help but give her a smile in return, a bit of bliss escaping him as he did so. "Breakfast is ready, Sakura." Sakura whips her head a bit too quickly the very second the aroma of waffles hit her senses. "Were having waffles, Itachi?" it was a rare treat when Itachi would make something very sugary for breakfast. Normally anything he feeds Sakura was something that was supposed to be healthy and balanced. He nods at her, and caught her right before she bolted past him. "You're just bursting with energy today aren't you Imouto?" Sakura giggled as she tried to struggle futilely out of her brother's grasp. The soft contours of her body rubbed against Itachi, and her hips met his when she tried to lean forward, forcing his locked arms around her to let her free. In an instant Itachi lets her go, watching her teasingly bring out her pink tongue to mock him, leaving him alone with a trail of pink hair to be the last thing he saw as she raced to the kitchen.

It was this type of naivety and innocence that he had forgotten about, the situations that raced in his mind. For a moment he almost forgot that yesterday Madara had her all to himself, the anxiety and the jealousy he had lost for a moment returned with full force. Sakura caught sight of the quick change in demeanor when Itachi reached the kitchen, his lips pressed to a thin line. Sakura made a guilty sounding squeak, almost slamming the syrup pitcher that was half gone down too loudly at the wooden table. Her good mood evaporated easily in fear that maybe she had also abused the good mood of Itachi with the obviously syrup doused waffled on her plate. Itachi, ever so calmly gestured for her to continue. Sakura was too distracted by the wonderfully sliced colorful fruits in front of her to match the waffles on her plate. She didn't notice how Itachi removed the apron he wore and how he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows all too calmly.

The first bite she took felt like it was too good to be true. The sweet crunch followed by the pillowy soft interior of the waffle was heavenly. "This is amazing Itachi." She almost moaned out. She looks at him with a smile on his face, but the kind that didn't exactly reach his eyes. "The blueberries are almost as sweet as the syrup this year!" she exclaimed. Although the sight of Sakura genuinely enjoying something that he made just for her was enough to melt his bones it didn't deter him from making sure that there was nothing wrong that happened with Sakura from yesterday. "I'm glad you like this, Sakura."

"This is amazing, Itachi. I want to have a husband just like you someday!" her statement caused a light spark to travel up his spine at her flattery. "You seem to have had fun from yesterday with brother Madara." Sakura swallowed the sickly sweet treat with a little difficulty. She knew where this was going, Itachi will start scolding her soon after, he's going to cut as much fun as he could if- "Tell me, Sakura, what did you guys do yesterday." Itachi's voice cut her thoughts off, ' _here we go'_ she thought.

She looked beside her where Itachi sat, lips turned a little with a faint smile, the kind that Uchiha's only have. The light hitting Itachi made him look almost as happy as she was, too bad she couldn't notice how fake everything else was with his appearance today. Her eyes looked up as she happily recalled the events of yesterday with stark clarity and excitement. "It was amazing Itachi! Madara-ani brought me to this arcade like place. It was fun with bright games and cool people! Some of them even watched me shoot the zombie monsters." She popped a kiwi slice in her mouth as she told her story. Itachi chuckled at some of them, melting away her fears. Maybe Itachi just genuinely wants to hear about her day. That wasn't so bad… was it?

A bite sized peach found its way in her mouth, the juice of the peach dribbled down a little from her lips, and before it could landed on her pajama top Itachi was able to stop it with his forefinger on her chin. "Oh, sorry Itachi-ani, I didn't mean to. I was just too excited about yesterday." She said bashfully. Instead of reprimanding her he just chuckled, Sakura's brow rose a bit higher. This was not a normal thing for Itachi to just brush off her bad behavior. He was quick to chastise any unladylike manners from Sakura.

"It's alright, I do understand. I'm just glad to see you the way that you're happy right now." Itachi breathed out a little, seeing as Sakura's expressions reverted back into a relaxed one. "Oh, and we went to this cute place Itachi! There was a lot of amazing food, but they could never compare to just how good you cook!" Sakura unknowingly flattered Itachi, buttering him up further. "Go ahead, tell me more." He encouraged.

A few minutes went by, the fruit on the table was finally sparse and so were the waffles. Sakura was blushing pink a little from a bit of elation as she explained in detail what happened yesterday, only to come to realize how tiring it was to actually have that much fun.

"And then we went to this place with a lot of rides! We went to one called a ferriswheel where you go sit in the booths and it lifts you up! Have you ever ridden one Itachi? Anyways it was so much fun even though the line was long and-" Black eyes wandered at how animated Sakura was telling the story. So far so good, based on the story she was telling with zero hesitation. In his lifetime of taking care of Sakura, the only kinds of lie she tells is when she hides sweets from him or when she hides her homework.

"And when we were finally on top we saw the entire city Itachi! It was so amazing, I want to go with all of you there next time." She couldn't help herself but wrap her arms around Itachi, who all too willingly caught her. Sakura snuggled a little too closely to the crook of his neck, and Itachi felt all the little vibrations whenever she was still talking. "Although, I feel a little bad about Madara-ani." She trailed. Without even looking at her, Itachi just cradled her head where it was on the junction where his neck and shoulder met. His hands trailed down feeling the silkiness of her pink hair. He can already imagine how her lips have already formed into a pout, and her eyes mixed with worry.

The warmth Itachi exuded and the gentle gestures he was doing eased her into resting the rest of her upper body weight on him.

Itachi was sure that Sakura was the only person living alive to feel bad for a man like Madara; even children know when to stay away from a man like him. "Madara asked me something weird too." Itachi didn't notice the slight rocking motion that he was doing while holding Sakura until she said that. The abrupt stop went past Sakura to notice. "Oh? And what may that be?" Itachi continued his light rocking motion since it seemed like it didn't bother her much. "He made me promise that whatever it is I find out, I'll love him just like I do." She murmured into Itachi's skin. For some reason it made Sakura blush just thinking about saying that to her other brother. "And then what happened?" Itachi urged on. "Nothing, Madara-ani just hugged and kissed me like always." She looked up at him innocently.

"And we were just like this too while riding the ferriswheel. I think Madara-ani is sad." Itachi's eyes softened a little bit as he stared back at the green ones looking right back. He couldn't help but feel a little guilt towards the way he treated Madara from last night but that wasn't enough to weaken his resolve. He knew what Madara had meant when he made Sakura promised that. The threats loomed over his family nonstop, and everyone was just as suspicious. Sakura was the most innocent one of them all, and it was unfortunate that she was the one that got caught in the crossfire's of this petty war they were currently going through. The worst casualty was always the innocent ones.

Soft hands cupped both sides of Itachi's face making him look right back at her. Pink lips in a sad pout, "Now you're the one who looks like he's sad, please tell me if there's something wrong Itachi-ani. It feels like I'm the only one being left out." Her grip on him demanded attention, not like her entire presence demanded it in the first place without her meaning to.

Itachi's other hand left her back and trailed back to her face. "I understand what you are saying, Sakura. Madara is a strong man, and it is nice that we have someone like you to be here for us. Right now, what is important is that you do what you do best, don't worry about us… Itachi-ani will still be right here. You'll love me too right, no matter what happens?"

The hanging question was left in the air. Although Sakura never really know what they meant by 'no matter what happens' it always left a heavy sense of dread in her. She won't know yet how heavy of an implication those promises will be in the future.

Itachi's hand trailed to her right wrist, and holding it tenderly while rubbing soft motions on the skin "Whatever it is we do, we do it because we love you. Remember that."

Itachi brought out a familiar black band from his pocket, something that Sakura thought she had kept hidden underneath her bed. "I-Itachi, its-" a thumb met her lips, silencing her immediately, but there wasn't a single threatening gesture to it. Itachi proceeded to wrap the band on Sakura's right wrist, securing it in place and making sure that it wasn't too loose or too tight. "You're growing up now, Sakura. You should expect more liberties to come the more you grow responsible." He said. "Just, please _no more secrets."_

Sakura felt like she was about to cry now, coming from Itachi this was something that meant big to her. It felt like she wasn't going to be belittled or treated like a child anymore. Her arms wound tighter on Itachi's waist and snuggle closer to his neck. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, Itachi!" she squealed with joy.

Sakura missed the way his face turned blank as he breathed out.

" _ **I do it because I love you"**_

* * *

The night was a quiet event for all the brothers inside the house. It has been almost four days since the last sleeping spell of Sakura and it was almost like a miracle that she wasn't in bed with her eyes closed for an extended amount of time. They were so used to attending to her in a silent fashion that seeing her lively was something different, albeit in a good way.

The space they lived in seemed all the livelier, and the proceeding checkups she had with Dr. Tsunade was giving them more helpful information with helping Sakura cope with her new state. Today was just a simple day but she still glowed with happiness which affected them all greatly somehow. All four brothers were gathered in the living room, each with a cup or glass of their preferred beverage at hand.

Shisui took a sip of his beer loudly earning a glare from the ever prim and proper Itachi. "I think Sakura should start going to school."

"She's seventeen years old and her education level is for a tenth grader. She already stands out as is, and you want to throw her into a cesspool full of horny turds and emotional conflict? I'm sorry but it's a no." Madara brushed Shisui's statement off easily.

"You got any better ideas? She should be out there meeting people her age, at least let her do something normal that every person should go through." Shisui scoffed.

Sasuke was oddly quiet the entire time, so quiet that even Itachi noticed. He fervently typed on his laptop while occasionally grunting a response back just to remind everyone that he was still listening t to the conversation.

"Sakura can take her time, introducing her slowly to external activities can take time. Maybe walking her to a park everyday-" Itachi was cut off of his sentence with a loud chortle from Shisui, "She's not a dog, Itachi. And I highly doubt your ominous looking ass would help Sakura make friends if you scare everyone except the single moms."

Madara won't admit it but he was secretly laughing at the drunken expanse of Shisui. "I think it would do good that she spends a couple of days in my office, she could learn practical skills there while meeting a variety of people-"

"Crime syndicates and corrupt politicians barely count as people, Madara." Itachi's tone was cutthroat in his special way, it made a vein in Madara's neck pop out a little as he turned a light shade of red from anger.

"And I guess playing house with her is any better?" he retorted back. Shisui eyed the two of his brothers quarreling. There was something different about the two of them and there was definitely something that happened that caused them to be up one another's neck even more than usual, he just couldn't pinpoint what exactly it was.

"You're all dumb and wrong." Finally Sasuke chimed in just before Madara and Itachi could stand and wring one another's neck. All three of them diverted their attention back to Sasuke who didn't even give them the exact same courtesy until he turned his laptop back to face them. The bright screen glowed with a page full of part time classes. Most of them were crafting activities.

"Before any of you shut this offer down, I want to inform all of you that I know her better than all of you and I'm the designated best friend." He shot a glare in Itachi's direction to prove a point. "Sakura needs a stress free environment right? Small classes like this can help her socialize and earn actual skills where she won't need us twenty four seven, which is the actual fucking goal." This time all of them looked at Itachi who just simply brushed off their scrutiny.

"Now, gentlemen, here is my proposal. Since Sakura only does her schoolwork in the morning until one in the afternoon, She can take two classes but not in the same day.-" Sasuke navigated to a link showing a simple cooking class.

"Here's a bare basic cooking class, she can earn a life skill here and have an actually useful hobby." All three brothers focused on the next "Here's another one, it's an ikebana class. It can instill discipline in her and help her focus on one thing at a time. Her motor skills can relax here." All three of them couldn't argue with the way Sasuke presented his suggestion. Shisui was amazed, "Well look here, your medical degree is finally paying off." Sasuke sneered back at the misplaced comment. "Maybe if you spend enough time stuffing your nose in useful articles instead of unknown substances you can finally be as useful as me too."

"Why you little.-" Madara and Itachi caught Shisui right before he could comically smash the bottle on Sasuke. Itachi managed to hold a drunken Shisui on his own and Madara looked at a focused Sasuke pulling up the sign up forms and what seemed to be Shisui's debit card. Madara never noticed how mature Sasuke's features have finally gotten, and how he too, almost, like him, was earning bags under his eyes.

Madara pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to gather his thought this early in the night. "All of you, _**listen**_." Madara's booming voice commanded attention and screamed authority.

"Sasuke is right. This is a good opportunity for her. She has to finally meet other people. In these classes she can hone her social skill; at least in a intrapersonal way… which means, Itachi, your work will double a little. We no longer have control with whomever she meets, which means we'll do a scan of every class attendant and also any person in the facility, we have to eliminate the possibility of someone who might recognize her." _Even though the chances are slim of anyone noticing her, but none of them just could bear the thought of Sakura hating them if one bit of information leaks_ **.**

Sasuke groaned in frustration at Madara's statement.

"THAT DEFEATS THE PURPOSE!" Sasuke exclaimed.

Although the night was long hostility in the air eventually evaporated into mutual agreement. All four of them too tired to argue or even bare each of their teeth to one another's necks.

* * *

 **A/N:** Hi guys, thanks for the support. I'm sorry I wasn't able to update due to work.

Also, my laptop is dead. Officially. I've been using the same laptop for the past 8 years and it finally gave out on me.

For those who know me (or at least when I started posting.) I frequently update. Like almost every day if I could. I'm trying to earn money right now to earn money for a laptop, and if you'd like to help, it would be a treat.

I'll be opening commissions, I'll take requests. And if you want a personal piece, I'll make it for you in a heartbeat. My coworker has given me their laptop to use until I get mine, but they'll be leaving the country in five months so I need to earn enough by then.

Message me here if you're interested and I'll send you my price details for story commissions, and depending on your request I can add a little juicy extension here and there for the same price. (If it tickles my fancy.)

I love you all, thank you for your patience.

-TAK


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